


Bloodied suits look better

by emulikule



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: AU, Friendship, Hints of other relationships, M/M, Minor Character Death, Romance, Violence, fluff with a dash of violence, light sex, love at first kill, mafia, more tags will be added with new chapters, or something like that, pinning, some whacky hijinks a bit later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-09-08 09:31:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 52,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8839423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emulikule/pseuds/emulikule
Summary: A conflict has been going on between the Russian  and the Japanese mafia for quite some time now, but a new head of the Russian one decides it's time to end it as the feud has only brought countless of losses for both sides. The news quickly spread all around the underworld and soon people not even involved in the situation express their interest in the proposed peaceful meetings meant for negotiations between the two rivals.Everyone has their own reasons for coming to a remote mountain town in Switzerland, be it possibilities of strong allies, protection of their own connections or just plain old entertainment.





	1. Wolf in sheep's clothing

**Author's Note:**

> First of all I want to say that all of this is set in a different world than ours, so the rules, connections, alliances and all that jazz is completely fictional. I want to apologize for the fact that I don't have a lot of knowledge concerning these matters and actually just about a lot of things in general. This au was just a little thing me and a couple of friends decided to make and it shouldn't be taken too seriously. In fact, a little warning in advance - don't expect this to be very dark or anything. After the first chapter this will most likely turn into a comedy to at least some degree.  
> That said, I hope you enjoy reading this.

To say that Yuuri Katsuki was feeling anxious would have been a huge understatement.

The man watched the quickly passing scenery through the car’s window, but his mind did not register neither the serene white atmosphere that had enshrouded the small mountain town that they had passed a few minutes before, nor the gently falling snow on the towering trees that surrounded the whole place. Kenjirou was babbling something in the seat next to him, but that too was drowned out by the racing thoughts in Yuuri’s head.

_How am I supposed to even begin the negotiations?_

_Are they expecting me to agree to everything or do I need to start asking for things first?_

_Why did they choose me?_

Technically, he knew the answer to the last question, but that didn’t make it any clearer for him. He saw the younger boy in the reflection of the window and felt at least a miniscule bit of relief that he wasn’t completely alone in this. Sure, there were a few more people in the car, but he didn’t know them too well. Assistants he was told. More like someone to keep an eye on him so that he doesn’t get himself killed too quickly. He wanted to laugh at that thought. Was he trusted so little?

He felt the smooth material of the scabbard of his sword as he held it in place with his pressed knees. He wanted to take off the gloves from his hands if only so that he could feel it better, but he knew that even in the warm car he’d soon get cold. This kind of weather was something he wasn’t too familiar with and he didn’t want to take any chances. For the moment just tapping his fingers on it would have to suffice.

Exhaustion was also taking its toll on Yuuri as the lack of sleep from the long flight mixed with the nausea coming from his nerves. He really wasn’t in the best shape for this and he dreaded the supposed peaceful meeting that would take place in just thirty minutes. The only consolation for him was the knowledge that a few others who also lived halfway across the globe would make their appearance, so he most likely wouldn’t be the only one who looked like he just wanted to die for a few hours.

With his thoughts as his loudest company, Yuuri felt his mind wander back to how he was basically pushed headfirst into this whole mess without as much as a warning. The fact that he was only the son of a small Yakuza clan’s head didn’t help him in refusing this ‘offer’. He let out an audible sigh at that and shook his head. No, he needed to think of at least a few good things that would come from this. If everything worked out well, their family’s name would become renown amongst Japan as being the first ones to successfully end this blood feud that had been going on for years.

He only needed to succeed.

No pressure.

Yuuri groaned as he rested his forehead against the sheath. This was going to be a long day.

Eventually, their car came to a stop. Kenjirou happily darted out of it and ran around to open Yuuri’s door as the man was sitting frozen with his gaze fixed on nothing. Yuuri snapped out of his stupor and thanked the enthusiastic boy. He still wondered how the kid managed to stay so upbeat after their thirteen hour flight and the long drive up to the lone small town up in the middle of nowhere in the mountains.

He managed to get out of the car and felt the cold air sting his exposed skin. Even with the layers of clothing Yuuri still shivered. At least it wasn’t a storm as the few snowflakes that did fall only lazily danced around underneath the sunlight. He had to admit, now that he finally got around to looking at his surroundings, the place was beautiful. The nature was different from his hometown, but it still felt familiar in a sense. Perhaps it wasn’t too bad that they weren’t conducting these meetings in some big city but somewhere more quiet and remote like this.

Of course, Yuuri wouldn’t have expected anything less of Christophe Giacometti than a huge mansion situated more to the top of a mountain that loomed over the town below. The man sure liked his extravagant lifestyle, but Yuuri couldn’t really blame him. After all, even if he was a part of the underworld, staying true to his blood the man preferred to keep his stance neutral on almost everything.

Yuuri only wished that he would keep his neutrality in his advancements as well.

As the air from his mouth came out in small puffs, the sound of another car came from the direction of the road. Their group all turned their attention to the other guest that was most likely one of the last to arrive as the house was already surrounded by a number of vehicles. Unlike their own little group that came in just two cars, the one that appeared from around the corner alongside the road was a lot bigger. Yuuri counted five cars as they approached their destination and after a few more minutes parked alongside theirs. Yuuri’s breath hitched as he saw who the final guests were.

Out from their expensive cars stepped the very top of the Russian mafia. There were a lot of people whom Yuuri didn’t recognize and he was sure that they were only the entourage to the main few. He caught a glimpse of Mila Babicheva as she happily chatted with the man beside her who was clad in an expensive looking fur coat. Yuuri knew more than perfectly who that man was as he watched the Russian crowd make their way towards the mansion’s entrance, and by extension their own group.

Viktor Nikiforov sported an easy-going smile as he strode with confident steps, his laughter echoing in the quiet environment. He was completely different from Yuuri in the way that he came off as absolutely relaxed and the Japanese man only shrunk a bit more into his coat. It was clear who would lead the meeting and who would only agree to every single term that the other made. The fact that Yuuri still regarded him as an idol of sorts didn’t help at all in his current situation. Viktor had been the youngest person ever to take over as the head of the Russian mafia at the age of twenty five and in only a few years he had already managed to spread their influence even wider.

Yuuri, on the other hand, had no such feats to brag about. Most of what he did was just helping out with his family’s business and occasionally joining a few others when orders came from the higher-ups. He was good at what he did, but that was mostly it. Nothing too spectacular that would make him known to others.

When the Russians got close enough to them, Yuuri gave a courtly bow. He needed to present himself as politely as he could and he didn’t care if that would make him look weak.

“Oh, you must be the Japanese representatives that I was told about,” Viktor said as he stopped in front of Yuuri and the other man brought his head back up to look at him. The Russian had narrowed his eyes slightly, but his smile hadn’t left his face. He looked even more stunning in person and Yuuri had to gather all of his confidence to just keep the eye contact as he nodded.

“Yes, we are. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“So formal,” Viktor laughed before turning from Yuuri and continuing to walk towards the grand entrance to the mansion.

Yuuri followed him with his eyes for a bit, thinking how that response was kind of rude, but what else would he had expected. Viktor had all the rights to be as rude as he wanted and Yuuri had presented himself as an easy prey. Pursing his lips he gestured for the others in his group to follow him as he began walking.

Oddly, the one who greeted all of them at the entrance inside of the building wasn’t the host himself, but one of the leaders of a smaller fraction inside of the Russian mafia. Yuuri recognized Georgi Popovich fairly easily as he was well known as someone who was close to Viktor and had been showing potential being only a few years younger than the other man.

“I figure everything went well with you and Yuri?” Viktor asked Georgi as everyone took off their coats.

Yuuri snapped his head at the mention of his name, but saw that neither of the two were paying him any attention.

Right, he wasn’t the only one here with that name.

“Yeah, the place is clean,” Georgi waved his hand dismissively. “Or at least as clean as it can be with an owner like Christophe.”

“That’s good then.” Viktor let one of his men take off his extravagant coat. “I wouldn’t have expected anything else from Chris.”

Yuuri watched the exchange in silence. Kenjirou offered to take his own outerwear from him and he absentmindedly gave it to the kid. He slowly slung his sheath around his shoulders and on his back for more comfortable carrying. Yet again his attention was focused on something else, so he didn’t take in his surroundings at all.

“I can show you the way, but Christophe said that only the most important people could attend the actual meeting, so the rest of you will have to wait elsewhere,” Georgi explained.

At that Yuuri turned around to face his companions, trying to come off as relaxed and confident. He was sure he was none of those things. “You heard him, please wait for me until everything is over.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay there alone?” Kenjirou asked with a hint of whine in his voice. “I could go with you.”

“I’m sure,” Yuuri gave him a forced smile. Even if he didn’t feel that way, he wasn’t about to ask the younger kid to join him. He was only here to observe things and Yuuri wasn’t sure if he could keep him from blurting out something unnecessary during a crucial moment. “It shouldn’t take too long and you have others to keep you company.”

“Alright, but if anything happens I’ll make sure we get there immediately,” Kenjirou said with more seriousness than Yuuri would have expected from him.

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.” Yuuri gave him an easier smile before turning away to walk with Viktor and Georgi.

Everyone else was left to go to the parlour, even if there were some suspicious glances and Mila had clearly shown that she wasn’t happy about being left behind. Yuuri only hoped that nothing too drastic would happen between the mixture of bodyguards and lackeys from all over the world. His only wish for the moment was for everything to go as peacefully as possible.

Viktor and Georgi kept chatting as the three of them made their way to wherever the main event was going to take place. They didn’t pay too much attention to Yuuri, so the man only listened to them in silence.

“Everyone’s already here, so you’re the last one to arrive,” Georgi said as they walked down a long corridor.

“I hope we didn’t make you wait for too long.” Viktor’s voice sounded casual and Yuuri could only imagine his expression as he shuffled behind the two Russians. It was hard to even keep his head up and he caught himself with a lowered gaze more than once.

“No one would probably admit it even if you did,” Georgi’s words came with a hint of annoyance. Yuuri wasn’t sure if that was a proper way to talk to a superior, but he wasn’t about to voice that concern.

“I’ll make sure to apologize when we get there then. Where is the meeting going to take place?”

“Just a bit further down,” Georgi answered as they began walking down a rounding flight of stairs. “Christophe said something about keeping things as secret as possible. Don’t ask me what he meant by that.”

“Sounds interesting.” Yuuri could hear the amusement dripping from that low voice and he had to remind himself that this was actually real. He still couldn’t believe the fact that he got the chance to see Viktor in person and that he was only a few paces in front of him.

They just had to choose one of his biggest admirers for the negotiations, didn’t they?

After a few more minutes they finally approached a door with a couple of burly men standing outside of it. Georgi waved to them dismissively as he walked past them and opened the door. From what Yuuri could see the room looked dimly lit and as he walked close to Viktor inside he realized that he didn’t know any of the people there. He narrowed his eyes to see if maybe he missed something, but as the realization that no one was familiar to him and he surely knew at least some of the expected guests came to him, the doors behind them shut with an audible click.

“Georgi,” Viktor said curtly. It didn’t even sound like a question, just a demand.

“Sorry about that.” Georgi put up his arms in a shrug. “Didn’t tell you about a little detour I had planned.”

Yuuri silently cursed to himself as he wished that he hadn’t put his sword on his back and his eyes darted around the dark room. He quickly counted seven other people besides the three of them and from what he could see all of them were armed. If he wanted to do something against guns he would have to be fast. He knew he should have been better prepared, but he had really hoped that this would have been a peaceful meeting.

As Yuuri was looking around, his body still but ready, he caught Viktor’s eyes for a moment. The other man raised his eyebrow slightly and Yuuri nodded as lightly as he could. From the way the Russian had been acting Yuuri was sure that he had also been taken by surprise. At least he wasn’t alone in this.

“Mind explaining then?” Viktor focused his attention to Georgi and Yuuri hoped that he was doing what he had wished to convey to him during that short exchange.

Stall for time.

“Oh sure, wouldn’t you like to know,” Georgi snarled this time, his attitude changing significantly. “You know, you can really get on someone’s nerves without even trying too much.”

“Didn’t know you thought of me that way.” Viktor still sounded relaxed, even in this kind of situation. Yuuri wasn’t sure if the man was just that good at acting or if he really didn’t feel threatened.

There were guns pointed right at the two of them and Yuuri knew that any sudden movement would trigger them. He decided to take the time that Viktor got for them to carefully gather his surroundings and compose himself. This was no time to panic.

“You want to know what I think of you?” Georgi spoke again. “You disappoint me. I expected a lot better from you than this little play of peace-making.” He threw a disgusted glance at Yuuri, who held his stance and returned the cold stare. “We all know that this is just one of your childish whims that won’t produce anything worthwhile and will only waste everyone’s time.”

“Yakov agreed to this idea.”

“Yakov is senile and can’t think for himself anymore,” Georgi spat.

“Now I’m sure there’s some other reason behind this.” Viktor’s lips curved into a smile. “There’s no way you’d talk about him in this way.”

Yuuri was slightly interested in this internal conflict that was unfolding before him, but he knew he couldn’t get distracted. The room had no windows and he was sure that they were in the basement level of the house. It seemed that this might be a less used room as there were a few things like a table and some bookshelves around it, but nothing too much. There was plenty of space to move around easily if the situation called for it.

“What I want is for you to realise that you’re not that great.” Georgi put his hands on his hips as he shook his head. “Sure, you have some achievements under your belt, but most of that is just you riding on your family’s reputation. There are others more capable of leading than you.”

“Let me guess – you’re one of those people?” Viktor said as he cocked his head to the side.

“I sure as hell am!” the other man raised his voice. “Look how far I’ve gotten on my own merits. The place I have now is because of my own work and, frankly, I think I could go even higher.”

Seeing Georgi getting riled up Yuuri wasn’t entirely sure if that was a good thing or not. If Viktor goaded him too much he might just order his men to shoot them and all of this would be over in a flash. Yuuri bit his lip as he slowly inched his hand towards his sword. He could take it out fairly quickly if he only got one good chance.

“If something happens to you, let’s say the negotiations were just a scam to get you unguarded and an easy target for the Japanese who didn’t even plan on taking any of this seriously, wouldn’t that just be horribly convenient?” A smile made its way on Georgi’s face. “And let’s say that the one who would uncover this ploy and would manage to get rid of the traitor would just so happen to be one of the well-known leaders of an already sizeable fraction under your rule. By all means, wouldn’t that give that person a valuable reason to take over for his fallen associate whom he couldn’t save in time?”

Yuuri let himself stare at the Russian man as he said those words. Was he really planning on making him the villain? Sure, the tension between their countries would be a solid reason for this supposed turn of events, but would that really not cast any suspicions on Georgi himself? One thing was certain though - this would cause a lot of conflict between everyone here.

“And so you would humbly take over my place, even if there would be complications about us not being blood related,” Viktor continued for Georgi. “Everyone would be amazed by how you managed to keep the Japanese from carrying out their uprising and maybe they would even console you for witnessing the murder of a good friend.”

“Yes.” Georgi grinned. “Then Anya would see how amazing I was all this time.”

“Oh,” Viktor whistled. “So that’s the real reason.”

“It’s _one_ of the reasons!” Georgi got visibly flustered.

At that moment Yuuri saw a few of the henchmen turn their attention momentarily towards their agitated leader, most likely also taken by surprise to this new piece of information.

Perfect.

Yuuri immediately grabbed Viktor’s hand with one of his, dragging the man unceremoniously down towards the floor with himself as he ducked and kicked out the legs of the closest lackey to him. He heard the thump next to him indicating that Viktor was indeed on the floor, but he couldn’t let his attention wander at that moment, instead choosing to focus on the man on his other side that had been watching over Viktor. He had a stunned expression on his face and Yuuri didn’t hesitate as he swiftly drew out his sword with his other free hand and aimed the motion towards the man’s neck. The blade barely reached it, but after a second a gash appeared on the neck that quickly began turning red, the blood pooling out as the man began frantically trying to put pressure on the wound and dropping his gun on the floor.

“What the-“ Yuuri heard someone say, probably Georgi, but he chose not to listen anymore, instead tuning everything out.

Some of the other men had gathered themselves in the few moments it took Yuuri to run his sword through the man he had kicked on the floor. They aimed their guns at him, but none of them shot. Yuuri figured that they were afraid of the ricochets that would be caused in a relatively empty room like this and the low lightning certainly did not help them with their aim. They had probably just planned to shoot him and Viktor in the heads from a close range after the whole intimidation fiasco. Kind of stupid for not preparing for this kind of outcome.

_I guess them underestimating me isn’t so bad._

He was sure that someone was speaking, maybe shouting, but everything would be easier if he just didn’t listen. Dodge the gun closest to him, skewer the one holding it. Don’t listen. Kick the hand of the other person, let the blade slash quickly through him. _Don’t listen._

Yuuri felt the slight friction as his sword moved against the clothing and the flesh of the people who were trying to kill him. It was a lot harder to ignore the feeling as he thrust the blade right through one of them, letting the hilt make a momentary contact before quickly taking the whole sword out. He didn’t prefer doing that as it took more time and made him get close to the one whose life he was ending, but he didn’t have the luxury to choose at the moment.

The last lackey actually tried to shoot at him, but it was obvious to Yuuri that he had been taken by surprise from his quick movements. The bullet whizzed somewhere past him and a fleeting thought crossed his mind about it being able to hit Viktor. Before he could even finish forming the thought, his blade had already made contact, again hitting the neck, though this time it wasn’t just a slash, but a full skewer. The spilling blood landed on Yuuri and he took a step back to avoid it.

Finally, Yuuri slowly turned around the room, assessing what had happened. Viktor was still sitting on the floor in the exact spot that he had left him, though he couldn’t see what kind of expression he had. On the other side of the room, closer to where Yuuri was standing, was Georgi, who had also managed to get on the floor and was staring at him with wide eyes. Everyone else was lying motionless on the floor, most of them surrounded by a dark red.

Yuuri took a few slow steps towards Georgi and saw the other man visibly shrink as he backed up against a wall. There were a few spots in his vision and Yuuri realised that some of the blood had landed on his face and glasses. Slightly annoyed he took them off and put them in the front pocket of his suit, which was also marred with dark blotches.

“You made me ruin my glasses _and_ my suit,” Yuuri complained as he got closer. Some of the liquid was running down his face and he brushed his hand along it, slicking his hair back with the motion.

When he got close enough he looked down at the whimpering man on the floor and pointed the tip of his sword at his throat, a hitched sound escaping it. “What should we do with him?” he asked without thinking too much. He was used to orders. “After all, this is your internal conflict, not mine.”

Not getting any answer he turned his head slightly in the direction that Viktor was and squinted his eyes to see the other better. The Russian scrambled to get up and dusted off his pants before straightening up and taking a few leisurely steps towards the two others. Once he was next to Yuuri he put his hands in his pockets and leaned down to look at Georgi. Yuuri still kept his blade pointed at him, but with his eyes he followed what Viktor was doing.

“What do you say, Georgi?” Viktor spoke up as he flashed a smile. “Should we keep you alive?”

Georgi frantically nodded his head, almost hitting the edge of the weapon pointed at him with his chin.

“Oh let’s just say that your men had a little uprising of their own and you were taken completely by surprise,” Viktor mimicked what the other man had said a few minutes ago, the smile never leaving his face as he spoke. “They tried to cause some conflict and decided that taking out the three of us would do exactly that. We were only so lucky that our dear friend from Japan managed to react quickly in this dire situation. What do you say about that?”

“No,” Yuuri interjected even though he had said he would keep out of this. He saw Viktor give him a quizzical look and he sighed before taking back his sword and sheathing it on his back again. “I don’t want the others to know that I did this.” He scrunched up his face as he turned to look at the room once more. “I came here for a peaceful negotiation and if everyone sees me as a threat then nothing productive will come out of this.”

“Is that so..?” Viktor hummed before turning back to look at Georgi, whose face was now smeared in tears and snot. “Then our story will go that I took care of everything. Isn’t that convenient for you, Georgi?”

“But why are you leaving me alive?” the other man finally managed to croak out.

“As I had said – you’re my friend,” Viktor said in an easy-going tone. “Besides, you could be very useful knowing what you’re capable of now. I’m sure you won’t be trying anything similar to this soon, right?” He winked at him before turning to look at Yuuri and smirking in his direction. Yuuri wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, so he only focused his attention on Georgi and tightened his lips as his eyes narrowed once more.

“S-sure, I won’t!” Georgi agreed, shock written all over his face.

“Excelent!” Viktor clapped his hands as he stood back up. “With this we won’t have to explain ourselves about a possible fratricide amongst fellow leaders. A small uprising of a few men will be much easier to cover up than a whole fraction.”

Yuuri watched the exchange with a slight bewilderment. He had been sure that Viktor would have asked him to get rid of Georgi, but here they were, the man smiling happily as he spared the life of the one who had had all intentions of killing him. As he watched the other man, Viktor suddenly turned to him and his eyes seemed to be sparkling even in the low light of the room.

“You were absolutely amazing,” he breathed out and Yuuri felt his muscles tense up at that. He was certainly not expecting to be praised by his idol.

“Thank you?” he said, not entirely sure how to respond to that. “But please don’t mention it to anyone else.”

“But isn’t that a bit boring?” Viktor turned his head to the side and Yuuri had to remind himself that he was still talking to one of the most powerful men in the world. “You shouldn’t hide your talents like this.”

“Please, I really don’t want anyone making a fuss about this.” Yuuri felt his previous composure dropping. Why was he only capable of self-control when he was in life or death situations?

Viktor appeared to be deep in thought for a few moments as he tapped his index finger on his chin before stopping and looking back at Yuuri again. “I’ve got an idea then – let’s make a deal.” Yuuri raised an eyebrow at that and the other man continued talking. “I won’t say anything about what happened here and neither will Georgi,” the man on the floor voiced his agreement with a small yelp, “if, in turn, you will let me get to know you outside of the meetings. I want to interact with you outside of a formal setting.”

Yuuri stood in silence for a few seconds, trying to process the odd request. Viktor wanted to get to know him? He blinked a few times before a faint sound of someone shouting came from the direction of the door. In a few moments a loud banging resounded through the room, followed by more pissed screaming.

“Alright.” He didn’t have much time to think this over. “I’ll let you do the explaining then.”

Viktor flashed him a smile that seemed a lot more genuine from his previous ones. “With pleasure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Georgi: You utter fool, it was all but a ruse, a trap, a hoax, a trick, a feint, a ploy and a sham and you fell for it like the buffoon that you are.
> 
> Anyway, I'm sorry for making Georgi the temporary villain, but someone had to take that role. Don't worry, he'll get his redemption sooner or later.  
> For all sorts of bonus content be sure to check [this out](http://yurka-on-ice.tumblr.com/tagged/yoi-mafia-au)


	2. Would you like some salt with that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aka the chapter where no one can fucking stop talking

The one who barged in through the door was none other than Yuri Plistesky, who seemed to have kicked it in before angrily storming inside the dim room.

“So here’s where you’ve been hiding you use-“ he began saying before cutting himself off as he took in the contents of the room. “What the fuck happened?”

Yuuri saw how his eyes darted right to him and narrowed threateningly. He didn’t even manage to start saying anything before the teen was already beside him with a drawn knife that was pointed dangerously close to his throat.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” he growled.

“There, there,” Viktor said as he put a hand on Yuri’s shoulder. “He’s not the one to blame.”

“Prove it.” Yuri didn’t drop the eye contact he had with Yuuri. “Because that’s hard to believe when all I see are Georgi’s dead men and he’s the only one who doesn’t fit into the picture.”

“He was actually quite helpful by being here,” Viktor began and Yuuri’s eyes widened in fear. _He had promised he wouldn’t say._ “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have had a weapon to defend myself with.”

“Huh?” Yuri finally looked to the other man. “The hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Viktor walked around so that he stood behind Yuuri and gracefully took out his katana out of its sheath, “that I could use this against a small uprising organized by Georgi’s men.”

Yuuri had to stop himself from grabbing his weapon out of Viktor’s hands out of instinct. He caught himself thinking that the other man didn’t look half bad with it before scrunching up his face and averting his attention back to Yuri who had an ‘are you bullshitting me’ expression.

“Indeed, these two can back me up.” Viktor gestured to Yuuri and Georgi, who had managed to get up from his spot on the floor, but was still leaning against a wall. “We were caught by surprise as it seemed that some people wanted to stir up some trouble, but I reacted quickly enough and none of us got injured.”

Yuri looked Yuuri up and down and the Japanese man was quick to explain, “I just stood too close to one of the attackers and got some of his blood on me. It isn’t mine.”

“Didn’t ask,” Yuri cut him off before he could say anything more. He finally lowered his knife and clicked his tongue. “Fine, I’ll believe you, but this whole situation is shit then. I knew something like this would happen, but I didn’t expect you to mess everything up so quickly.”

“Well, at least it wasn’t a conflict between several countries, just a bit of internal friction.” Viktor smiled as he handed Yuuri back his sword. “I think everyone will understand if we just explain.”

“Oh suuuure, good luck with that,” Yuri said in a mocking tone. “This will only give a reason for everyone else to start doubting each other. They were already riled up when you failed to show on time and I can’t fucking blame them. We might as well already start heading back home.”

“Have some faith, I’m sure it’ll all work out,” Viktor assured him as he began walking out of the room. “I’ll have to apologize to Chris for making this mess, though. The cleaning is going to be awful.”

Yuuri stood in his spot for a few moments, not entirely sure what he should be doing. He glanced at Yuri, who contorted his face before stomping out of the room right behind Viktor. Yuuri turned back to look at Georgi and sighed.

“I hope you’ll also stay silent about this. I don’t think I need to give you another warning,” he said as he finally decided to follow the other two who had just left. After all, he didn’t want to get lost in this huge house. He took off his suit, folded it over his arm and began walking, hoping that they hadn’t gone too far away already.

* * *

 

The explanation of what had happened didn’t go… well. Yuuri stayed silent, letting Viktor do all of the talking while he stood more to the back with his shoulders hunched and his eyes lowered. The Russian basically said the same thing he had told Yuri, though with a bit more descriptions. After he was done half of the room looked like they were taken completely by surprise while the other half began fuming about unreliable people and places. Everyone got so heated that the meeting had to be postponed until the matters got settled privately. It was only a wonder that no one decided to outright leave, but the fact that the majority locked themselves up in their rooms wasn’t much better.

Yuuri was one of the few left in the room after most had stormed off and he finally took the chance to see who had also arrived and weren’t too suspicious of him or just everyone in general. Viktor was chatting up with Christophe, who looked slightly annoyed at the whole issue, but didn’t come off as angry. Georgi had followed them inside and had stayed silent through the whole ordeal while Yuri had left, mumbling something about finding Mila and everyone else. Yuuri’s eyes lit up when he saw Phichit sitting in one of the chairs and happily waving to him. He immediately made his way for his friend and the other stood up with his arms open for a hug.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Yuuri said, feeling a lot more relaxed now as he felt the other’s arms wrap around him. “Why did you come?”

“To keep you company, duh,” Phichit laughed warmly before backing up. “Also who would I be if I just let this kind of event happen without me?”

Yuuri joined in with a small laugh of his own before his eyes wandered to where Viktor and Christophe had been standing. Apparently the Russian had been looking his and Phichit’s way as his eyes widened a bit in surprise from being caught. He quickly changed his expression into a smile and waved to the two of them before returning to whatever he was doing.

“Is it just me or did he look angry?” Phichit said.

“He did?” Yuuri looked at him startled.

“Yeah… And you know, I had been thinking that the whole explanation he had given us didn’t make full sense. You’ll have to tell me everything once we’re alone, alright?”

Yuuri nodded. As the two of them kept talking, they were approached by two other people who introduced themselves as Leo and Guang Hong and told them that they were from the USA.

“We came here just to see how these things go, but we didn’t expect that it would be so exiting from the first day,” said Leo as Guang Hong nodded energetically beside him. “We hope that it won’t result badly in the whole peace treaty, though. It would be a real shame.”

“Thank you,” Yuuri said genuinely. He hadn’t expected to find someone friendly so quickly and these two looked like they didn’t want any conflicts. “I’m just glad that the three of us didn’t get hurt.”

“Are you sure about that?” Guang Hong asked with an incredulous look. “You seem a bit…” he trailed off as he began gesturing over his own face with his hands.

Yuuri looked at the boy for a second with a blank stare before it clicked to him. “Oh god.” He immediately covered his face with his hands. “Do any one of you know where the bathroom is?”

“I’ll show you,” Phichit offered as he began steering Yuuri with his arms on the man’s shoulders. He then looked back at Leo and Guang Hong, “And we’ll definitely keep in touch with you!”

As they walked Yuuri felt nothing beside the want to completely disappear. He hadn’t even taken his hands away from his face and trusted Phichit to lead him. _Everyone saw me like this. Why did no one even say anything?_

“I know you will tell me nothing as long as there are other people around and the meeting is postponed either way, so I was thinking,” Phichit began in a playful tone as he opened the doors for Yuuri and directed him towards the sink, “what about a sleepover then?”

“A sleepover?” Yuuri asked in surprise as he splashed cold water on his face.

“Sure! It’ll be just like the old times and you can tell me all the juicy details.” Yuuri could hear the smirk in his friend’s voice.

“I guess we can do that, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stay up too late since I’ve had a really long day.”

“No problem, I’ll just tell my people where they can find me and we can head to your room. I heard that the two main leads of this whole event got the best ones, but don’t take my word for it.” Phichit beamed and Yuuri felt grateful that at least someone seemed like they were having fun.

Yuuri finished up with his face, scrubbing at it until it felt painful. He also tried to get some of the crusted blood out of his hair, but that just ended in it looking like a mess, so he gave up on that. He could take a well-deserved hot shower later. Last thing he did was clean his glasses and he was set to go. Phichit had arrived a bit earlier and had already learnt where some of the places in the mansion were, so he showed the way to the lounge where most of the other people had stayed behind. While he talked to his people, Yuuri had to calm down Kenjirou, who had decided that it was his duty to never leave Yuuri out of his sights after he had heard what had happened. The others that had come with him didn’t look too pleased either and Yuuri knew that he would have to explain to them everything that had occurred, but he really didn’t feel like doing that today, so he said that he needed some rest and he’d get in touch with everyone the next day.

After everything was settled they went up to the third floor which was designated for the rooms of the most important guests. Yuuri had gotten a key for safety measures and as he and Phichit were walking to his room, he saw Viktor and Christophe a bit further down the hallway, exiting what seemed to be Viktor’s room.

“I hope the place is pleasurable for you,” Christophe said when he and Viktor got closer to them. “You can always ask for a change if you want to.”

“I think it’ll be good,” Yuuri answered quickly, not sure if he wanted to hear his other options. “Thank you for arranging everything smoothly.”

“It’s how I do everything. I’d be glad to show you.” Christophe winked at him and Yuuri could hear muffled laughter coming from Phichit.

“That won’t be necessary, but thank you for the offer.” Yuuri put up his hands in front of him and tried to force a smile that probably came out as a grimace. He saw the amused look on Viktor’s face as the man listened to them and he felt his face heating up. Before he could embarrass himself more, he took Phichit’s hand, quickly opened his door and said a small goodbye before shutting it closed.

“Uuuu,” Phichit sang as he watched Yuuri press his back to the door, his sword uncomfortably digging into him. “Mind telling me what that was about?”

“Christophe just being his usual self?”

“I mean the look you and Viktor shared before you became a flushed mess!” The shorter man looked like he was about to start jumping in his place. “And just everything that happened between you two, since I know something did. I mean come on, you’ve been wanting to meet your idol for years and now you get this chance and on top of that you share a life and death experience with him during the first hour you meet. Isn’t that way too cool?”

“It’s nothing that extreme,” Yuuri tried to calm him down, but all he got was a disapproving face in return. “Alright, alright, I‘ll tell you everything, but just let me get a shower first.”

“Don’t try to jump out through the window in the bathroom,” Phichit said cheerfully as Yuuri began rummaging through his luggage for new clothes. “I’m sure it’s too small to fit comfortably and the height might leave you with some injuries.”

“You know me too well,” Yuuri laughed weakly before heading into the adjacent bathroom. “Just please don’t make a mess from my things. There’s nothing too interesting there anyway.”

“Okay,” Phichit cooed as he flopped on the king sized bed and took out his phone.

Yuuri thought the whole place was quite extravagant for just a simple underling like him. The bathroom was spacious and had all the necessities he would have thought of. After he was done showering and didn’t feel as disgusting, he finally got a clear look of his room as well. Phichit was still sprawled on his huge bed, but a new set of luggage had appeared next to his own. There was a window that took the place of one wall and it seemed that it also worked as a sliding door for the balcony outside.

When Phichit saw Yuuri exit the bathroom, he immediately sprung up from his spot and beamed at him. “Sooo?”

Yuuri sighed as he got on the bed himself and felt his whole body relax from the stressful day. The sheets were so much more comfortable than most of the places he had stayed for various reasons.

“Well, first of all Viktor wasn’t the one who took out everyone.”

“I knew it!” Phichit exclaimed. “All that blood on you and the fact that he said that he took your sword were dead giveaways for me. I didn’t spend all that time with you not to know how you’d react in these kinds of situations.” This time his friend gave a more sympathetic smile.

“Yeah, but I didn’t want others to see me as a threat, so I asked him to cover for me.”

“And he agreed?” Phichit’s eyes widened.

“Well, he called me amazing, but he also asked for something in return. I’m not sure why, but he wants me to meet him sometime outside of the official meetings,” Yuuri explained as he thought over these things in his head as well. He wondered what the man’s intentions were.

“Oh my god, Yuuri, that’s so awesome!” Phichit nearly squealed in Yuuri’s ear as he suddenly wrapped his arms around his shoulders from his side and began kicking his feet fervently on the bed.

“It is?” Yuuri managed to ask in between his friend’s shaking.

“Yes! You made a great first impression and now he wants to get to know you. Oh,” he stopped his exited moving. “That means he might have thought that I… Oops, I’ll have to explain it to him sometime later.”

“He might have thought what?” Phichit wasn’t making much sense and Yuuri felt lost as his friend returned to his happy swaying.

“Nothing, nothing. I’ll take care of everything,” Phichit assured him with a bright smile. “Ah, I still can’t believe how lucky you got. I’m so happy for you!”

“If you say so.” Yuuri shook his head. “I should still stay guarded, though. Now that this has happened one can’t be entirely sure something similar won’t as well.”

“Of course, but tell me more, I want to know every single thing,” Phichit urged on.

And Yuuri did. He recapped what he remembered and even told him about Georgi, but not before getting him to swear that he would keep his mouth shut about that. He trusted Phichit enough to believe that he wouldn’t blab about something so important. The conversation gradually changed into something else and before Yuuri knew it, they had chatted well into the night. He had forgotten his fatigue, but he didn’t feel too surprised when he saw the clock read an early hour of the morning. Yuuri was used to going to sleep late and Phichit was the same.

Sometime in the evening or night, they had heard some kind of small commotion from outside the door, but it sounded distant, probably from the other end of the hall. Yuuri was sure that he had heard a door slam and someone talking, but it was soon over and they brushed it off. It didn’t seem like anyone was in trouble or was having a fight.

In the morning, they both woke up late and Yuuri was glad that they had postponed the meeting to an unspecified time until everything got sorted out, since he was sure the two of them would have been royally late otherwise. Once they got ready, they headed out for breakfast and right as he got out of his room, Yuuri saw Viktor doing the same right in front of him.

Both of them blinked a few times before Viktor’s expression turned into a smile. “Good morning, Yuuri.”

“Why are you blocking the way?” Phichit whined as he slightly pushed his frozen friend. When he saw Viktor he made a small ‘o’ shape with his mouth.

Viktor raised an eyebrow at the newcomer, but also greeted him with a hello. Yuuri managed to get out of his stupor and looked around a few times. “I thought your room was on the other side of this floor?”

“It was, I asked for it to be changed,” Viktor answered cheerfully.

Phichit made a weird sound which Yuuri chose to ignore.

“You two sure took your time sleeping, what kept you up all night?” Viktor asked, still in an upbeat manner.

“Oh don’t worry, we were just talking,” Phichit answered before Yuuri could.

As he said that, a door further down slammed open and a very flustered Yuri walked out of the room. He didn’t seem to notice them as he put his face in his hands and groaned so loud that it carried clearly to the trio. One more person had also been walking down the hall and Yuuri saw him turn his attention to the disgruntled blond.

“I don’t think that’s his room,” Viktor said as he watched Yuri walk towards another door, open it and slam it closed with an audible click of a lock.

“Isn’t it JJ’s?” Phichit leaned a bit to see better. Yuuri was more amazed how he had already learnt so many things about this house.

“Is it.” Viktor said in a low voice. “I’ll have to meet him then.”

Yuuri saw the other person purse his lips tightly as he walked past them and headed towards the stairs. His hands were clenched tightly at his sides.

* * *

 

The day went by slowly. Yuuri saw a few people here and there, but most seemed to be hauled up either in their rooms or somewhere else with their own people. Most that he did see seemed suspicious of everything and didn’t talk much, opting for just quickly walking by or out of the room he had entered.

_This is going just great._

By the evening, Yuuri had done barely anything productive, aside from explaining the matters to his associates and deciding with them on their further actions. It seemed that they still regarded him as the one in charge, so in the end his say was the most important and Yuuri had decided that he wanted to stay and wait until everyone calmed down. If that took too long, they would reschedule another meeting at another place, but he hoped it wouldn’t lead to that. He had to admit - he liked this place. The town seemed inviting and the scenery had a very nice atmosphere to it. Even Christophe’s house was interesting to him, seeing as he didn’t usually stay at these kinds of places.

Phichit had visited his room again and the two spent some time playing cards together on Yuuri’s bed. At some point in their game a knock came from the door.

“Yes?” Yuuri called out as he stood up from his bed.

The one at the door was Christophe and he greeted the two with a smile. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Not really,” Phichit answered, still sitting.

“Great, then I’m here to offer something. We’re planning a sort of get together down at the lounge in the basement for some games and to just get to know each other more intimately. I’m inviting anyone willing to come.”

“We’ll join,” Phichit said as he jumped off the bed. “I hope Guang Hong and Leo will be there. I was planning on finding them on my own.”

Yuuri nodded in agreement and Christophe winked at them with one leisurely finger gun. “Then allow me to show you the way.”

They followed their host through the long corridors and Yuuri saw them pass the door to the room where the whole ordeal had gone through the previous day. After some time they reached wide doors that opened up to a room filled with jazz music, tables, a small bar and all sorts of games like pool, darts and what even looked like an arcade. Phichit whistled in approvement as Yuuri looked around.

They reached a table with some people already at it as Christophe waved them off, saying he’d go try to find some other people. Sitting comfortably on a sizable sofa were Leo and Guang Hong, whom Yuuri and Phichit greeted happily, a woman with dark hair, a bearded man beside her and finally Viktor, who looked like he was more of a host than Christophe.

“Welcome,” he greeted warmly. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Hi there, I’m Phichit and this is my friend Yuuri, but I’m sure you already know him,” Phichit said enthusiastically.

“You know us.” Leo smiled.

“The name’s Sara,” the woman introduced herself with a small curl of her lips as well. “Part of the Italian representatives.”

“And I’m Emil!” The man extended his hand for shaking. “I just came here since Sara and Mickey did. I’m from the Czech Republic, but I don’t think I’ll get too involved with everything.”

Yuuri realised that he did know Sara as she and her brother were fairly famous. He wasn’t entirely sure about Emil, but he thought he might have seen him a few time before too. Phichit took a seat across the people on the sofa and Yuuri joined him. It seemed that they had also been playing cards, but there were already tokens and money scattered around the table unlike the simple game the two had played before getting here.

“Want to join us?” Leo asked. “For now it’s blackjack.”

“Alright,” Yuuri answered and saw from the corner of his eye as Phichit’s grin grew wider.

“I can be the dealer if you want,” his friend said.

Everyone agreed and Yuuri had to try to hide his amusement. He was sure no one here knew what to expect from Phichit except for him.

They played a few rounds, Phichit winning most, though Leo was close on his heels. Yuuri tried to win as well, but most of the times he just avoided busting without getting more than Phichit, who seemed to really enjoy being the dealer. During one of the rounds, Christophe returned with one more person in tow and this time Yuuri knew them well.

“Didn’t expect you to come,” Viktor said with interest in his voice.

“Couldn’t just leave you alone after yesterday’s fiasco,” Mila said before she greeted everyone at the table. “Yuri’s been holed up in his room and won’t speak to anyone and I have no idea what’s going on with Georgi, so I took it upon myself to keep you in check.” She then flopped down on the sofa and hugged Sara. “Besides, when I heard that she’s here I just couldn’t refuse.”

“We do need to catch up,” Sara said with a lot more excitement now. She seemed to visibly light up as soon as Mila came.

“Seems that you’ve been having fun without me, but what do you say about making things more interesting?” Christophe asked as he leaned on the table.

“Strip poker!” Phichit shouted and Yuuri felt the sudden need to get a drink.

“You read my mind,” Christophe chuckled and took a seat himself.

“Since Mickey isn’t here I should probably say something about keeping you safe,” Emil said as he looked at Sara, but then he shrugged. “I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”

Everything started out tame at first, a few wins here, a few loses there, everyone mostly just taking off their jewellery or accessories, but as more time passed a few of the group got really into the game. And Yuuri wasn’t joking as he thought that, seeing most of the people around the table with a lot more exposed skin than he had expected to ever see from them. No one seemed too shy, though most only had a few articles left, except for the two who had already shown their talents at the previous game.

Phichit and Leo were almost fully clothed, having only lost their jackets and a few trinkets as Yuuri sat in only his shirt and underwear. He could still take off his glasses if need arose, but he wasn’t sure if that would help him in the game. Guang Hong didn’t seem to mind his own lack of clothing as he cheered Leo on and Yuuri wasn’t sure if he was grateful for the fact that Viktor sat in front of him and that there was only a table obscuring his view.

Probably a good thing.

Eventually they stopped the game as most of them were nearing full nudity. They decided that it wasn’t that kind of party, much to Christophe’s dismay. They scattered around the room a bit, with Phichit, Guang Hong, Leo and Christophe going to play darts. Yuuri found himself at the pool table and he stood there a bit lost.

“Come on, let’s play,” Viktor said as he got closer to him. “We can go against Sara and Mila.”

“I’ll just watch!” Emil shouted from his spot on the sofa that he had now claimed entirely as his own.

“We can go two on two,” Mila said as she tossed Yuuri a cue stick. She then got a mischievous look on her face. “Maybe this will show just how good your partnership will be in the future.”

“I’m sure it’ll be quite the sight,” Viktor answered as he put an arm around Yuuri’s shoulders and the Japanese man felt all of his muscles go stiff from the contact.

“I-I don’t actually know how to play,” he managed say and got several looks of surprise in return. He felt his face heating up as he began fidgeting with the stick. “I learnt most of the card games from Phichit, but I never really had time for anything else. I do know many Japanese games if you’d ever want to try.”

“Oh that’s adorable,” Sara said with a laugh.

“No worries then.” Viktor ran his hand down Yuuri’s arm before reaching the cue stick and placing his hand on it over Yuuri’s fingers. “I can teach you everything you need to know,” he almost blew the words in Yuuri’s ear and the shorter man had to contain himself from shivering. The fact that during the hand motion Viktor had pressed his body a lot closer to his own didn’t help at all.

“We’ll go easy on you then,” Mila said as she positioned the balls on the table.

“But don’t expect that to last for long.” Sara winked.

“I’m sure Yuuri’s a quick learner,” Viktor assured them, making the other man suddenly feel a lot more pressured, but also strangely exited for the new game.

Mila began the game and managed to get a few balls in already. Yuuri watched closely as she leaned elegantly over the table and took a few moments to position the best shot. From what he could see, she seemed used to the game. Once she missed, she moved away from the table and gestured for Yuuri.

“All yours.”

Yuuri took a step closer to see what was happening on the table. There was a chaotic array of balls all over it and he was glad that he at least knew the basic rules. The problem was that he had never tried playing it, so he had no idea how to aim or shoot.

“Here, let me help,” Viktor said near him. The man looked over the table as well and then walked to one end of it. “Come here.” He gestured for Yuuri and the other obediently walked to stand beside him. “You can try aiming for this one.” He pointed to a red ball and Yuuri wasn’t sure if the colour choice was on purpose or not. “It might even hit the blue one in its way.”

Yuuri nodded and tried to position himself similarly to how he had seen Mila do it. He closed one of his eyes to try and aim better, but he still had no idea how to properly hit the white ball in front of him. He tried throwing a glance in Viktor’s way to see if he was doing the right thing or not, but the other man probably took it as a stronger plea for help.

“You’re doing just fine,” he said as he leaned closer and put his hands over Yuuri’s again. Since Yuuri had been leaning over the table already this meant that Viktor got even closer this time, their bodies now pressing way too close for Yuuri to try and brush it off. He tried to concentrate on what the other man was saying so near to his ear. “Just try to hit the ball in its middle and not too forcefully.”

“Don’t scare him, Viktor,” Mila laughed. “He looks terrified.”

Yuuri took a gulp as he felt Viktor’s hands move alongside his before he finally hit the ball. It rolled in a straight line and hit the red one just as Viktor had suggested. The red in turn hit the blue and Yuuri watched in amazement as they both fell into different pockets.

“Wonderful, you’re a natural,” Viktor praised him as he took off his hands from Yuuri’s in a slow manner, making them linger for just a few more seconds.

“I hadn’t expected it to actually work,” Yuuri exhaled the pent up breath he had been holding in.

“Try the green one now.” Viktor smiled at him.

Yuuri nodded, now feeling slightly more confident. He walked around the table to get a better shot and leaned again, though this time not as much. Viktor followed suit and stood close, gently placing a hand on Yuuri’s and steadying it. Yuuri could hear some muffled talking coming from the girls, but it was too quiet to make out what exactly it was.

The shot missed.

Yuuri stared at the white ball lazily rolling away from his cue stick and blinked a few times. He should have known not to get too confident.

“You didn’t put enough force this time,” Viktor began in a quick spill of words. “You’re too constrained and you could have aimed a bit more to the right, also-“ the lecture went on and all Yuuri heard was the buzz in his ears. He made a crooked smile as he tried to listen, but nothing really registered.

Sara took over and the game continued. After her, Viktor took a place at the table and he seemed like a natural. As Yuuri watched him pocket one ball after another, he felt transfixed in the motion of the game. His movements were so fluid and seemingly effortless and Yuuri was only taken out of his daze when Viktor waved a hand in front of his face.

“Are you alright?” he asked, concern lacing his voice.

“I’m fine!” Yuuri nearly screamed and then quickly covered his mouth with his hands, before fervently nodding.

Viktor made an amused smile and Yuuri felt the tips of his ears turn red. He figured today would just be a day that he made an embarrassment of himself.

Not too surprisingly, Sara and Mila won the first game, but Viktor just threw a comment that Yuuri was only learning. He still helped the Japanese man with most of his poses and advised where and how he should aim, but after a bit Yuuri found himself actually starting to see the patterns in the game. He managed to begin taking initiative during his own turns, Viktor standing a bit more to the side and only silently observing him.

With Yuuri’s newfound skills they actually managed to win the second game by the smallest margin, Viktor shooting in the last ball. The third game was also taken by them and this time by even a bigger advantage and Yuuri couldn’t help but feel at least a little bit proud of himself. He had managed to actually learn how to play fairly quickly and Viktor kept throwing compliments his way every time he made a remarkably well calculated shot.

By the end of the third round, they decided to call it a day and Yuuri realised that even though he was happy that he and Viktor won, the girls teasing them on their teamwork, he began missing the part of the game where the other man had still taken his time to show him all the details he needed to know.

Guang Hong had won the dart competition that was held by the four who had played them, though Phichit came as a close second. Leo seemed proud, though not surprised by his friend’s skills and Christophe only shrugged, saying that at least he got a good show.

Emil had managed to fall asleep on the sofa.

* * *

 

The next day most of the guests still refused to cooperate, except for the ones that had attended the small get-together in the evening. Yuuri could see Christophe getting annoyed at the breakfast table, where only a few of them sat and ate with some small chatter between them. Only two new people sat there who hadn’t been with them and one of them was Yuri. The teen looked pissed as he stabbed his food with a spoon and kept grumbling something to himself while occasionally shooting an agitated glance towards the other end of the table where the other new person sat. Yuuri knew from Phichit that that was Jean-Jacques Leroy and the man kept talking about something to the closest person that would listen.

“Alright,” Christophe suddenly stood up, gathering the attention of everyone in the room. “I’ve decided that we’ll be having a joint dinner tonight and nobody is allowed to pass out on it. I hope you tell this to your friends and acquaintances, because I want to see all of their lovely faces.”

The people at the table stared at him for a while before exchanging glances between each other. Phichit seemed to be silently asking Yuuri if he was up for the idea and the other man shrugged. It didn’t sound too bad if they finally wanted to get something done. They could at least try to be civil and have a proper dinner together.

The news travelled around the mansion fairly quickly and by the time evening rolled in, Yuuri could already hear the commotion that was happening downstairs in the main hall that Christophe had informed everyone about as the place where the dinner would happen. He met Leo and Guang Hong as they exited their room and walked together with him down the main stairs.

When they reached the main hall, the table there looked extravagant, filled to the brim with all sorts of dishes and expensive tableware. Yuuri saw the Russian representatives already sitting at one side of it and when he locked eyes with Viktor, the man immediately brightened up. He beckoned for him to come and sit near them and Yuuri didn’t really feel like he had a choice in that matter. Leo and Guang Hong took their seats across from him and when Kenjirou made an appearance, he took no time to sit right next to him, still coming off as a sort of bodyguard.

Surprisingly, everyone actually showed up. Well, at least the most important figures from each of the countries that were present for the planned meetings. The only problem was that the atmosphere was so thick you could cut it with the non-existent knife that everyone was told not to bring. This was supposed to be a civil and orderly dinner, where people were supposed to get closer to each other and drop their suspicions, but Yuuri knew that no one listened to that order completely. Even if nobody visibly had any weapons on them, he was sure that there were hidden ones on each and every person that was now currently sitting at the table. Even he brought a small knife with himself in his shoe, just in case things went south and that was highly likely knowing the people that had gathered there.

Christophe was clearly working on trying to keep everything orderly and Yuuri could commend him at least on that. He probably wouldn’t have managed that if he had been in his place. Still, there were a lot of small conversations going around the table and the main topic of all of them was ‘who did you suspect the most and why?’

“You went to a party with Emil and didn’t tell me anything?” Michele’s voice could be heard from all across the table.

“You were invited too – everyone was, it’s not my fault that you declined it,” Sara answered her brother in a bored manner.

“I declined it because no one here can be trusted.” He gestured around the table and got a few angry looks in return.

“Sure, you’re one to talk. At least we had some fun and managed to get to know each other better, so I would say that the ones that did come are the more trustworthy people,” Sara said as she continued to try and eat her meal.

“It was fun, Mickey. Too bad that you didn’t come,” Emil joined in with a cheery tone.

“Wait, you said everyone was invited?” JJ asked with a surprised look. “I didn’t hear anything about that.”

“Who the fuck would willingly invite you anywhere?” Yuri spat from his seat. Yuuri saw from the corner of his eye as the teen pushed his knife aggressively into his plate, managing to bend it in the process.

“I don’t think the angry kid should be allowed to have any sharp utensils,” said Seung-gil, whom Yuuri knew from a few tense run-ins during his earlier days.

“I could kill you with a plastic spoon if I wanted to,” Yuri answered him with a sneer.

“You should probably just give him a sandwich.” Mila shrugged. “That would at least limit his options of possible weapons.”

“He’d probably still find a way,” Yuuri heard Viktor say quietly and for a minute he even wondered if the comment was only meant for his ears.

All in all, the dinner went as expected. It was a wonder that no one actually killed anyone, though a lot of threats were thrown back and forth during the whole evening. Yuuri only tried to eat in silence and made a bit of small talk with Kenjirou, who was seemingly still a bit lost on everyone’s animosity towards each other, and a few words here and there with Viktor, who unusually didn’t stand out too much this time.

In the end, Christophe concluded that it was a success.

* * *

 

_The previous night_

Yuri swore he was going to kill someone today. And that someone went by the name of Jean-Jacques Leroy.

He wasn’t even sure what time it was anymore, but he knew that either way it was too fucking late. The night had already fallen hours ago and he had hoped to at least get some rest before whatever shit happened the following day and that was sure to happen knowing Viktor. His hopes were crushed by the most horrible sound he could have ever imagined.

The wall did nothing to muffle it and Yuri was beginning to suspect that Chris made the room placements on purpose. His walls were definitely paper-thin and he would have a long and heated talk with Chris about it.

As soon as he murdered JJ.

There was a moment of silence and Yuri was just about to perhaps let the whole thing go for this night, but then the abhorrent sound of JJ’s aggravating snore resounded through his whole room once again.

“That’s fucking it!” The teen jumped from his bed. He grabbed the closest knife to him and squeezed the hilt until his knuckles turned white.

The door almost crashed into the wall from the force that he used to open it. That didn’t matter. Chris owed him at least that much. JJ’s room was right next to his and the idiot hadn’t even locked his door. Yuri didn’t even try to be quiet; ignoring everything he had been taught. This fucker didn’t deserve the luxury to be taken out in style. Besides, he didn’t even seem to wake up from the noise. How had he even survived in this business?

The room was a lot darker than his, the curtains drawn fully over the large window, but the layout seemed the same as his own.

“This is really overdue,” he muttered under his breath. He had felt the urge to get rid of this guy from the moment he had laid eyes on him and heard that obnoxious voice. No one would even mind. They’d probably be glad.

The teen looked at his hands, the knife resting comfortably in them. He clenched it tighter before letting it fall on the ground. The Canadian didn’t even deserve this. He could use his hands. That way it would be more personal.

The moron continued with his sleep, making the ear-bleeding sound every few moments. Yuri growled in frustration and took an impulsive step towards him, completely forgetting his stealth in his anger.

Well that was a mistake.

He felt something underneath his foot shift, some sort of material that had been strewn on the floor and forgotten by its owner. The sudden movement caught him off balance and all he managed was a quick swear before he fell backwards and felt his head hit something hard and sharp. The intense pain made stars appear in the dark room and Yuri fell on the floor with a low thump.

Eventually, he opened his eyes. The bright light coming in through the open window made his eyes hurt and he groaned in pain. At least the bed was comfortable. He wondered if he had managed to fall asleep sometime in the night and had only had a horrible nightmare. He slowly got up, steadying himself on his elbows.

The room felt… off. It looked similar to how he had remembered it, but after a minute of looking around something clicked.

It wasn’t his room.

He leaped from the bed like he was burned and almost managed to fall over again. A bright purple luggage sat before him with the giant initials etched onto it. The letters stared at him as if mocking and Yuri felt the urge to barf. No one beside him was in the room and that was at least something. If there had been someone, he wouldn’t have been able to hold back.

Yuri quickly left the room and slammed the door open. He put his face in his hands, feeling like he wanted to be buried alive, and let out a frustrated sound. Thankfully his room was close by and he went inside before locking it. No one needed to know what happened.

JJ was definitely going to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise there's gonna be plot in the next one  
> I hope


	3. Sleep tight

Yuuri nervously sat in his seat at one end of the table. Kenjirou had somehow managed to talk him into letting him join in during the meeting and now Yuuri wasn’t sure if he had really made the right decision. He had told the kid to only listen and observe, but if he was being honest, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be doing himself. He felt slightly off as he hadn’t brought his sword this time, opting for a more peaceful look. He couldn’t just carry it around everywhere, though now he felt a bit more empty without it by his side.

The meeting was about to start and most of the people had already taken their seats, now talking amongst each other in hushed tones. Yuuri tried to not look at anyone for too long, though his gaze did linger on the ones directly in front of him at the other end of the table. Whereas he and Kenjirou were the only ones representing their country, the younger of the two barely counting, the Russians had four people, all of whom seemed ready to eagerly begin what would probably eventually result in a heated debate. Yuri kept glaring at him, Georgi sat silently, but looked a lot more relaxed than previously, Mila talked animatedly with Sara, who was sitting next to her, and finally Viktor was shifting through some papers in his hands. He seemed to sense that Yuuri was looking at him and raised his eyes to meet the other’s. He gave a small smile that looked too much like a smirk from where Yuuri was sitting and continued with what he was doing.

“You know, there’s already a rumour going around,” said Phichit in a hushed tone. He was sitting at Yuuri’s other side and had leaned a bit over the table.

“What kind of rumour?” Yuuri asked, feeling a bit of dread as he threw a quick look at Georgi and Viktor.

“Actually, it’s a bit funny,” Phichit continued, not noticing his friend’s concern, “Since you already told me everything. So get this,” he leaned in closer as his voice changed into a whisper. “They think that Viktor is threatening you.”

“Huh?” Yuuri looked at him baffled.

“I know right?” Phichit stifled a laugh. “I think it’s because of the whole explanation you guys presented in where Viktor was the one doing the dirty work. They think that you saw or heard something that you weren’t supposed to and now he’s keeping an eye on you so that you don’t talk. That’s why you’re so meek around him and let him do all of the talking.”

“But that’s not the case,” Yuuri said. “At least I don’t think it is.”

“Well they don’t know that.” Phichit glanced back at the people around the table as if pointing them out to Yuuri. “So now every time Viktor gets close to you for one reason or another and you just act like your usual shy self they all think that it’s because you’re afraid.”

“It kind of is funny,” Yuuri agreed, thinking back to the way the Russian man had excitedly asked him to make a deal with him and had tried to teach him how to play pool. He smiled to himself a little as he took the papers he had brought with himself.

“I see I did my job then.” Phichit winked at him and leaned back in his chair as Christophe announced the start of the meeting.

“Thank you all for coming here, even if it’s a bit unorthodox.” Viktor took the lead immediately before Yuuri could even say anything. “I have to admit, this is a bit of an experiment on my part, but I hope all of you will follow along. As we all know, Japan and Russia have been at odds for a long time, at least where it concerns us.” He smiled like he had made an inside joke. “I took it upon myself as one of the first larger scale projects since I had taken over, to extend a peaceful offering to end this feud and it seems that I was answered in kind.”

Yuuri noticed a small pause in the other’s speech and took it as his cue. “We also agree that this animosity between our countries has only brought losses to both sides. I was given the honour to represent the collective disposition of my higher-ups and I hope that these negotiations will go without too many obstacles.”

“As do I,” Viktor answered. “Still, since this offer was extended freely to anyone who was interested, we must not forget that our countries aren’t the only ones involved in all of this.” He gestured to address everyone in the room. “Most of you have expressed that you are only here to observe and intervene minimally if you think that your country is getting the short end of the deal, but I’m sure that some are quite interested in what is going to be decided during these meetings.”

A few people nodded and to Yuuri’s slight concern, he saw that one of them was the Korean representative Seung-gil Lee. Personally, he barely knew the man, only having met him a few times briefly in the past, but the fact that their countries had still very tense relations between themselves brought him some unease for what the other might say.

Just as he was dreading, Seung-gil looked at him with a cold stare. “It will sure be nice to see if the Japanese are capable of rational deals.”

Yuuri clenched his teeth and looked down. He didn’t want to be confrontational. He was here to negotiate peacefully and he was sure going to try and stick to that.

The first matter that came up was the question if both of the main parties were willing to make any of their territories neutral for the sake of nonviolent interactions, such as trade and mediations for any concerning matters at the time. Yuuri was glad that he had some information regarding this in the papers he had brought with himself. They had been handed to him by his father and he was told to study everything carefully. A lot of the possible transactions were written down and many of his available choices were presented to him in written form. After all, he was mainly here just to relay the messages that the others in his country had. He would only take initiative in the matters if it seemed absolutely necessary.

Viktor offered a southern territory of theirs, which elicited a bit of a reaction from one of the people that hadn’t shown too much interest as of yet. Otabek Altin, whose name Yuuri learned only recently and had seen him just a few times around the mansion, notably the time the Rusian Yuri had been making a fuss in the corridor, threw a small comment how Russia had more than plenty of places to offer, so why was it that the one that was chosen now was dangerously close to the border that they shared with Kazakhstan? Surely they could offer something that was closer to Japan.

Viktor agreed to that and noted down something in his own papers. The good thing about these meetings was that nothing had to be decided immediately. They had all agreed that they would take things slowly, perhaps even making bigger breaks to go back to their countries and deal with whatever was more important at the time before returning to these matters. For now, mostly only ideas would be thrown back and forth, some offers and suggestions on what could be worked on to improve the tense relations.

The first real problem arose when the question of gun trade was presented. Yuuri relayed the request from his part. His higher-ups had shown their interest in the Russian market for firearms, in turn they would present theirs of cold weaponry. Viktor agreed to the offer without much hesitation, which was probably what urged the first opposition.

“Wait a bit,” Michele Crispino interrupted in a low voice. “How come you’re so quick in agreeing to this?” He pointed the question at Viktor. “What about the long running liaison between our countries concerning this? If you agree to what he’s saying, then it’ll surely suffer and, frankly, we can’t agree to this, right, Sara?” He looked at his sister, who seemed to be caught off guard at this.

She looked back from her brother to the other woman who was sitting next to her. Michele caught this and his face fell.

“Sara, you can’t possibly comply with this,” his voice caught a hint of begging. “We need to think of the family first.”

“I know and I am,” she answered, though she didn’t sound too sure of herself. Yuuri didn’t know if he should interrupt or just let this play out. Nobody else was saying anything.

“What says that we’ll suffer from this, though?” Sara asked, straightening her back and looking her brother dead in the eye. “Surely they will manage to balance everything out so that all sides leave with what they need.”

“I thought we were together in this,” Michele stood from his seat, his chair swinging back and forth for a little before steadying itself. “How can you even say these things? You know that if we back down even a little we’ll lose big time.”

“I want to believe that we won’t.” Sara then turned her attention to Viktor and the other Russians. “You’ll make sure that we won’t, right?” Her question sounded more like a demand at that moment.

“We will,” Mila said as she put a hand on her shoulder. “These are still just negotiations.”

Michele narrowed his eyes at that, but took his seat again, folding his arms and scoffing silently. Sara didn’t look at him during the rest of the meeting and Yuuri was sure he saw a few angry glares sent his way from the Crispino brother. He probably blamed him for bringing up the issue and Yuuri could do nothing about that. He was sure this was only one of the first of the many problems that would present themselves during however long it took to wrap these matters up.

This was probably going to be a long proceeding, all of it.

* * *

 

Yuuri wasn’t sure how long they took, but eventually it was decided that the first meeting should come to an end. He felt exhausted as he exited the room, even if he hadn’t done much, but it was still straining to keep thinking about each and every reaction he would elicit from everyone at his every word. The whole thing about representing his country didn’t help with it much either. At least Kenjirou seemed exited as he finally got to talk about what had happened. To Yuuri’s pleasant surprise, the kid hadn’t made himself known during the whole meeting and had only listened intently. Yuuri patted him on the head and said that he would tell his father about his proper behaviour, which in turn got him a high pitched squeal and watery eyes from the boy.

After he was done with that, Yuuri made his way back to his room. There was still a lot of time left for the day, but he didn’t feel like socialising at the moment. His room felt a lot bigger now that he stood silently in it and just took everything in. Phichit wasn’t there to fill it up with his laughter and most of the sounds coming from the corridor were muffled. He hadn’t drawn the blinds open in the morning and now the place was shrouded in a dim shadow, furthering the image of something secluded and faraway from others.

Yuuri took a few steps towards the huge window and threw the curtains open with a lot more energy than he had expected from himself. The light from the outside hurt his eyes a bit as it was even stronger reflecting from the shimmering white snow that encompassed all of his immediate surroundings. He opened the sliding door that led to the balcony and stepped outside, taking a few bigger breaths of the fresh mountain air. It was cold, but not as much as to make him want to go back inside. He wasn’t sure if he had begun getting used to it or if he was just feeling slightly number after the meeting.

He leaned against the icy metal railing, resting his arms over it, though not his hands. He wasn’t _that_ used to the cold yet. The air felt sharp as Yuuri took a few minutes to just breathe and relax. There was barely any sound, so the moment he heard another door slide open he shot his attention towards that.

From the room next to his came out a familiar figure. Viktor looked at him for a moment from the neighbouring balcony before smiling and closing the door behind himself.

“Hi there,” he said as he mimicked Yuuri’s pose against the railing. The way the balconies were situated made only a small distance between the two men and since Yuuri had already taken his place quite near the other room, it was even smaller. If he had wanted, he would had been able to just reach out and touch the other. But he didn’t.

“Hello,” instead he answered. “What are you doing here? I thought your room was in front of mine?”

“It is,” Viktor said as he took out a cigarette and a lighter. “This one’s Georgi’s.”

This was new information to Yuuri. He had known that the room on his left had been Phichit’s, but he had never seen who had resided in the one on the right. He guessed he knew the answer now.

“Do you do this often?” He meant the cigarette that was now lit up and between the other man’s fingers. He knew the answer, he just wanted to be polite and not come off as too creepy. Having your idol so close to you was still a new experience.

“Not really,” Viktor answered genuinely. “Mostly it’s just to keep up with the image. You know, cigar in one hand, twirling a gun in the other. People sure have some weird expectations sometimes.” He laughed a bit.

Now that was something new. “I see,” Yuuri let out a puff of warm air with those words. He was getting a bit cold, but he chose to ignore that at the moment. It was rare that he could get to talk to Viktor like this. “What about Georgi, though? Is everything alright in that end?”

“Seems so. He’s been a lot more compliant at least. I’ll make him do some work for me as an apology, but you shouldn’t worry about that,” Viktor said as he followed the lazy smoke with his blue eyes. Yuuri took that moment to just let himself stare at the other man, so close to him now and yet still too far away to reach comfortably.

At that moment Viktor turned to him and caught Yuuri off guard as he had been staring quite intently. “Your glasses are going to fall off if you lean too much,” he said with a smile right before reaching out over the railing and the space that had separated them and pushing Yuuri’s glasses back on his nose with his index finger.

“Oh,” Yuuri breathed out. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“It would have been quite the hassle to find them way down there.” Viktor pointed down towards the snowy ground. “Good thing I was here.”

“I’ll take that as payment for the other day then,” Yuuri joked before quickly covering his mouth with both of his hands. That was stupid. He clearly went out of line.

In turn he heard a soft chuckle from the Russian. He tapped his cigarette and turned to fully face him from the other balcony. “Then I’ll take this as part of your payment as well.” As he said that, he extended his hand once again and brushed a lock of Yuuri’s dark hair, which had been tussled from the slight wind, away from his cheek. “You should probably get inside. Your skin is starting to become red.”

Yuuri immediately recoiled backwards, almost losing his footing in the fast motion, but managing to steady himself. “Okay.” His words didn’t feel as if they left his mouth, more like someone else was saying them. “Thank you for your concern.”

He turned on his heel and went back inside to his own room, again drawing the curtains all the way back. He could faintly hear the other sliding doors close as his room was shrouded in a shadow again.

* * *

 

The night fell quietly upon the residents of the mansion. For once Yuuri had gone to sleep earlier than usual, feeling tired out from the tense interactions of the day.

In the room next to his, Phichit slept peacefully, not too bothered by the antics of others. All of the guest rooms had similar layouts, so there was a big glass window that lead to a balcony in his as well. He hadn’t drawn the curtains over it, opting to let the low moonlight illuminate his room as he went to bed. Phichit was used to living and working in bigger cities, so this kind of setting was something a bit unusual for him, but far from unwelcome. He loved the calm atmosphere of the small mountain town, even if it didn’t give him too many opportunities to go outside and enjoy himself while being surrounded by a myriad of people. He saw how this place had a positive effect on his usually anxious friend, so he decided to relish in it as well.

Unbeknownst to the Thai man, a figure stood outside of his room, looking up at his window from the ground beneath the balcony. They had managed to secure a rope that lead to it without being noticed by anyone and began to make their way up it. They had chosen a night that would have a storm, so that the footprints left behind would be quickly covered by the falling snow. The gloves helped not only with the possible fingerprints, but also with the icy weather.

Without making too much noise, they finally got up to the third floor where the most important people resided. They knew perfectly well whose room this was and even if they hadn’t, the man had left his windows uncovered and the figure could see him sleeping in his sizeable bed. It didn’t take long to open the easy lock of the sliding door that doubled as a window and the intruder tried to silently push it to the side. Even with all of their caution, the person sleeping in the bed stirred and so the figure saw no other choice for them at that moment than to immediately take out the hunting knife that was strapped to their leg and take the few steps needed to get close to the bed. If the target was starting to wake, they didn’t have much time to do their job.

They were sure they had been as silent as possible, having done this all of their life, yet somehow the man that was supposed to be asleep turned on his back and opened his eyes. They locked theirs with his in a heavy moment that felt a lot longer than the millisecond that it actually was and lunged for him with their weapon glinting in the moonlight. A fleeting thought crossed their mind about the storm not having started yet and how their escape might become compromised.

Even though he had just woken up, Phichit took no time in catching the attacker’s hand and trying to keep it away from himself, the edge of the knife dangerously close to his face. The intruder tried to position themselves better, putting one knee on the bed and forcing their weight down on the struggling man. The hunting knife managed to make contact with Phichit’s skin, but the other person only managed to make a superficial gash over his cheek from all of the resistance he was putting up.

Phichit had tried to get up from his bed, but the person attacking him had too much of their weight put on him, so he only knocked over one of the night lamps that was on the nearest table to him. The other cursed from the loud sound the crash made, but they didn’t ease their assault. The knife made a few more cuts and Phichit had begun trying to kick with his legs, but one movement from the attacker’s knee almost knocked out all of the air from him as it made contact with his solar plexus. He gasped and saw the person smirk as they brought the knife down.

The door to the room slammed open and the aggressor froze in their movement, instantly turning their head to look at the newcomer.

“Phichit!” Yuuri yelled as he drew his sword and dove for the darkly clad figure.

The person shot up from the bed right as Yuuri’s weapon came down where they had been, just barely missing its target and landing dangerously close to Phichit’s leg. Yuuri drew it out without any hesitation and swung it again, but the attacker seemed either very used to dealing with these kinds of weapons or just extremely skilled in general as they ducked moments before Yuuri could make contact and dashed towards the balcony door. They had been closed for the fear that Phichit might had been woken up by the cold air, but that didn’t matter in the end. Yuuri tried to follow the other person, but they ran straight towards the glass door and shattered it with their body weight and their momentum, and he momentarily took a step back as he tried to shield himself from the possible glass shards that spilled everywhere.

The attacker didn’t seem fazed, even though it was clear that some of the shards got stuck in them, and they quickly grabbed hold of the rope that was attached to the balcony, sliding down it, the friction between its material and their gloves making a hissing noise. Yuuri jumped over the largest pile of glass that he could see and leaned over the railing. The other person had already managed to reach the ground as he did so and they broke for the forest that surrounded the mansion.

Yuuri cursed silently under his breath, berating himself for not bringing a long ranged weapon as he began to climb over the railing himself. He was stopped by a low moan coming from inside the room and he quickly turned his attention to his friend, who was still lying in his tussled up bed. His eyes darted back to the dark figure that was gradually becoming smaller as it reached the tree line and he knew he had to make an instant decision.

Yuuri let go of the cold railing, his sword falling on the snowy ground of the balcony. He took a few careful steps over the glass and made his way to the bed.

“Did you get hurt?” he asked, trying to sound calm as to not push his friend into further panic. Mostly he just felt agitated that he wasn’t able to catch the intruder and worried that Phichit might be seriously injured. He sat down and tried to check the other for his wounds.

“I think so,” he heard a weak answer and then surprisingly a laugh. “Oh man, that sure was something,” Phichit let out as he put his right hand over his stomach.

As Yuuri stared at the other in shock a commotion resounded through the corridor. Soon, people were bustling into the room in various states of panic.

“What happened here? Yuuri..?” Viktor’s voice was clear through some other shouting.

Yuuri turned to look at the people at the door. Someone had flipped the light switch and the room was drenched in brightness. Christophe was already ordering some of his people to check the parameters and Yuuri sighed from frustration.

“Someone attacked Phichit. I couldn’t catch them.” He pointed towards the broken balcony door with a lean of his head. “They ran towards the forest, but I think they might be injured unless they wore some special clothing.”

He could hear Christophe relaying the news to a person on his phone and someone was already asking him more questions, but he didn’t want to focus on that at the moment. Phichit was clearly injured, streaks of red blood marring his dark skin, and he was still taking odd and uneven breaths. There were gashes of varying lengths all over his face and arms and the white bedsheets were becoming slowly dirtied in crimson.

“We need a medical expert here,” a calm voice said and Yuuri saw another person sit on the bed on the other side of Phichit.

Seung-gil carefully rolled up his night shirt and gently moved his fingers over Phichit’s skin. Eliciting a few small yelps here and there as he put some pressure on the ribs.

“Are you one?” Yuuri asked.

“Not entirely, but I can check for broken bones and anything that might pose an immediate threat to his life.” The answer was cool and yet Yuuri could see the tentativeness in which he attended to his friend, who was now trying to steady his breathing.

“Are you alright?” Someone else asked and it took Yuuri a moment to realize that he was the one being addressed as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look who it was and saw the worried face of Viktor.

Yuuri shook his head and sighed. “I’m fine. I’m just angry that I couldn’t do anything.”

“Imagine you running after them in your pyjamas,” Phichit laughed again from his spot and groaned in pain. Seung-gil tried to help him steady himself as he pushed forwards on his bed and rested his back against the frame. “I don’t think you would have lasted long in the cold without any shoes either.”

“It’s starting to snow outside too,” Viktor said as he looked through the broken window.

“Well I didn’t have time to get dressed when I heard the noises coming from your room,” Yuuri tried to defend himself. “I was a bit more worried about you.” He felt embarrassment creeping up to his cheeks as the attention of the people left in the room turned to him.

“I know…” Phichit said in a more subdued tone and he gave the other a small smile.

“Anyway,” Seung-gil broke the silent moment by clearing his throat, “we need to get out of here since it’s starting to get cold and he should really get checked out by a professional.” He pointed to Phichit, who blinked a few times as if trying to understand if the other was talking about him.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he waved off with a carefree look appearing on his face. “Just a few minor cuts.”

Seung-gil gave him a strict look and stood up from where he had been sitting. “Do as you please, just don’t cry to me when they get infected.” He exited the room and a few of the other onlookers followed him as well, most of them already beginning to shiver from the cold air coming from the broken balcony door.

Yuuri finally felt the icy air as well and wrapped his arms around himself. Another hand rested on his left arm and squeezed lightly as Viktor pressed his side to Yuuri’s with a soft smile. The Japanese man let himself relax into the touch and leaned slightly towards the other. He then looked back to the balcony where his sword lay forgotten in the snow. Viktor clearly saw what he was looking at and leaned in to say in a quiet voice, “Chris will take care of everything. You shouldn’t go out there in bare feet.”

Yuuri wanted to answer that he had already done so, but instead he nodded. A few more people entered the room and they helped Phichit get up, guiding him towards the door. Christophe walked out behind them, but not before assuring Yuuri that his friend would be taken care of.

“We should get somewhere warmer as well,” Viktor said and Yuuri agreed. He threw one last glance at his sword as the other man led him out of the room and into the corridor, where there were now people running around and shouting at each other, but it was obvious that it wasn’t in chaos. Christophe’s people were checking everything to see if nothing similar had happened to anyone else.

“You’re sure you’re alright?” Viktor asked one more time.

“I think so.” It was a bit weird to see the other so worried now, when at first he had looked so amazed by Yuuri’s skills. Perhaps he hadn’t worried then since he had clearly seen Yuuri avoiding any injuries, but those were only guesses on Yuuri’s side. He still had no idea what the Russian was thinking most of the time. “I just don’t think I’ll be able to go to sleep after this.”

“I don’t think anyone will.”

* * *

 

Viktor was right - no one slept after that. The whole house was woken up in a matter of minutes and by the time morning had come the tension had skyrocketed. The perpetrator wasn’t found as the storm had started up and rendered any search parties useless.

Christophe had gathered everyone in the lounge area to see if anyone was missing, but each person was accounted for, leaving the conclusion that it was someone from the outside. That didn’t calm anyone down, though, as arguments soon rose up on who could have planned this, the blame falling on almost everyone, but as more and more people kept throwing in their two cents it had begun getting clearer on who was the main suspect.

Even though Phichit had expressed his neutrality during the meeting, it was clear to anyone who had eyes that he was close to Yuuri. Attacking a neutral party was sure to stir up some trouble, but the fact that the target had shown associations with one of the main members of the negotiations only cast more doubt on the already sullied image of the Russian faction.

By the time the sun came up, the following meeting was already cancelled and most of the guests just wanted to leave the place. Their departures were organized swiftly and as soon as the snow gave way, the cars left one by one.

Yuuri had stayed with Phichit as soon as he was let to do so, though he had listened to most of the accusations that had been thrown all over the place in the lounge. Some had even been aimed his way, but they were soon retracted, seeing as he was the one who had essentially stopped the attack. Phichit was let out quickly, no serious injuries done to him, just a few deeper cuts that needed a few stitches, like the one that stretched from his right ear all across his cheek towards his nose. He had wanted to listen to everyone and see if anything would get resolved, even though Yuuri didn’t let him speak too much, wanting his friend to conserve his energy. He had nodded off when it was becoming clear that nothing productive would come out of the whole thing.

Yuuri stayed by his friend’s side on the couch, watching as one by one the representatives from all of the other countries left with their entourages and feeling as if he had somehow let everyone down. Hadn’t it been one of his duties to ensure that these negotiations went smoothly? Now all he had to bring back was the news that nothing really got talked through aside from a few minor details and just a lot more animosity between everyone.

Kenjirou and a few of the men he had travelled here with had come up to him, telling that his luggage was taken care of and that they would leave as soon as he was ready. Yuuri could only thank them for that and say that he would find them when that time came. 

Leo and Guang Hong had stayed with him and Phichit for a while, saying that they wanted to make sure that Phichit was alright. Yuuri appreciated their concern and let himself be lulled into a hazy state as he watched everyone leave.

At one point he saw the Italian group walk hastily towards the main doors. There had been a few other people still lingering in the lounge area and Mila had been one of them, having previously made some small talk with the three of them. Yuuri watched as Sara turned around to most likely say her goodbyes to her friend, but Michele put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Sara looked back at Mila for a moment with a slightly hurt expression before turning around and following her brother. Mila didn’t say anything, though Yuuri was sure she had seen what had happened.

Eventually, Phichit woke up. The people that he had come here with had prepared everything for their departure and he couldn’t really find an excuse to stay for much longer. He thanked Yuuri again for everything, expressing his disappointment that things were cut off so abruptly because of him and didn’t let his friend even start apologizing and taking the blame for himself.

“I’ll definitely come the next time, so see you until then.” He waved to Yuuri as he was ushered outside by a man and a woman.

 _If there will be a next time._ Yuuri waved back to him and cast his eyes downward.

There was no more reason for him to linger in Christophe’s house. He knew that there were probably only a few more people left who hadn’t made an exit. He found his own group and told them that he was ready. He needed to start preparing himself for the long journey back home and the failure he would need to explain.

At the entrance they were met by the Russians who were also finally departing. _Kind of ironic_ , Yuuri thought, _we leave how we came_.

He nodded as an acknowledgement as they made their way past them, Christophe still holding them up with some business. Yuuri didn’t want to believe that they were the ones responsible for the night’s event, and especially not Viktor.

“Yuuri.” He heard his name being called out and turned to see that the man was smiling towards him.

“Yes?” he answered, feeling taken by surprise as his people kept walking, only Kenjirou stopping for a bit to see what was happening.

“I hope we’ll be able to set up a next time,” Viktor said as he walked closer to him. “I would hate for all of this to end just like that.”

“You would?” Yuuri looked at him with wide eyes. He had expected the Russians to be repulsed by the whole idea of negotiations by now and he wouldn’t have blamed them. This had all just seemed like a waste of time, especially for them.

“Of course.” Viktor’s eyes glinted in the morning sun coming from outside. “Besides, we still haven’t held up on that deal of ours.” He winked coyly and Yuuri could only blink at him.

“Alright,” he managed to say. “Then I hope so too.”

“See you soon, then.” Viktor extended his hand and Yuuri took it to shake.

“See you,” he mirrored and gave an unsure smile. That seemed like the exact answer the other was hoping for and he beamed in return.

As Yuuri sat in the silent car he looked back through the window at the mansion that was slowly disappearing in the background. At that moment his only wish was that he would be able to come back there again. After all, they still had a lot they needed to talk about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phichit's selfies are gonna be a lot more different for a while, huh  
> Next chapter will have more character interactions and a few new povs


	4. Home alone (aka the beach episode)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normal physics and rational thinking could not make their guest appearances in this chapter, so we had to make do without them  
> Take this chapter as a day off from all the serious business

It took a while to settle on another meeting. Once Yuuri had returned home, he was met with a lot of uncertainty and suspicion. Nobody really wanted to trust the Russians after all and his own thoughts were mostly cast to the side. He was just someone who relayed the news and was a stand-in for those who didn’t want to risk their lives, not a person who was too important overall.

After a bit more than a week, they were informed that Viktor and by extension his people were still interested in continuing the negotiations. This didn’t come off as a surprise to Yuuri, who had already heard this at their parting, but the Yakuza heads didn’t share the same reaction. They had been quite close to just deciding on ending everything, but somehow Yuuri managed to convince them, with the help of his and Kenjirou’s family, to give the Russians one more chance. This time he even offered to be the representative, arguing that he was already a familiar face to them and might had gained some trust. That took a lot out of him – he had never really tried to stand up for something and himself against his bosses, but to his disbelief it payed off.

The Yakuza agreed on one more meeting, to see if this one would go better than the last one.

It was decided that the meeting will happen in February, roughly a month after the first rendezvous. Christophe once again offered his place, saying that he didn’t mind it in the least and that it was his pleasure to help out an old friend. However, taking in consideration of what had happened the last time, not a lot of people wanted to come. Even though the Minami family had offered their help in convincing the higher-ups, mostly because Kenjirou wouldn’t stop nagging them, the kid was forbidden from joining Yuuri this time in fear of his safety. To add to that, only a few others accepted to accompany Yuuri so his entourage was a lot smaller, only consisting of three people who still mostly avoided interaction.

Despite all of that, Yuuri found himself actually anticipating the long journey this time. It didn’t feel as strenuous and he had even managed to get a somewhat refreshing sleep on the plane. Noting that the weather had only gotten colder and how it had taken him some time to get used to it, he went more prepared this time, covering himself in warmer clothing and even bringing a not-so professional hat to protect his ears. Even though it was slightly embarrassing, he figured that not a lot of people would see him and his image was already a non-intimidating one.

Christophe’s place seemed the same as their car drove near the entrance, perhaps just covered in a bit more snow.  Yuuri took a deep breath of the sharp air as he got outside the car. He saw that there were a lot less cars parked this time and wondered if they had just arrived early or if there would only be a few guests. That wouldn’t be too surprising.

Their small group was greeted by Christophe at the grand entrance and he explained that a few new safety measures were taking place. He took Yuuri to the side and told him that he was now taking a few of the bodyguards that had come with every representative to work together with his people as security for the time that they would be staying here. That way no one could argue that they’re being singled out or that they can’t trust anyone. Yuuri understood the need to at least try and work together, so he didn’t take long in accepting the suggestion. He agreed that he would take full responsibility if his people did anything out of place and said that all three of them could start doing their temporary jobs as security. He had been instructed in the very beginning that he could do whatever he wanted with them, he just hadn’t felt the need to act on that.

Yuuri told the three others of this decision and was met with no opposition. They listened to Christophe’s instructions in polite silence and soon made their way to some other part of the building, barely sparing Yuuri a goodbye. The man watched them leave, thinking how not even the people meant to accompany him really cared if he was being left alone to fend by himself. That didn’t matter. He was used to this.

The meeting commenced not too long after Yuuri’s arrival. The only other people that came after him were Leo and Guang Hong, followed by their own group, and Jean-Jacques with his own small crowd. There were a lot less guests this time around and Yuuri felt both worried and relieved that Phichit had stayed good on his promise and came too. It was slightly odd seeing that Seung-gil had also decided to join in and finally Viktor had only shown up with Yuri, alongside a few other members whom Yuuri only vaguely recognized from the last time.

As previously, only the main representatives stayed during the meeting and Yuuri had barely managed to say his greetings before it had begun. Even though a lot of the people seemed at least somewhat on edge, the fact that there were a lot less of them appeared to make everything go a lot more peacefully. Maybe it was just that Yuuri hadn’t seen Viktor in a while, but he found himself getting lost in the other man’s words as he spoke about their matters. With the smaller amount of attendants, his smooth voice carried through the room stronger and Yuuri had to catch himself more than once to actually listen to what it was saying. He stumbled over his own thoughts here and there and heard the small click of a tongue from Seung-gil’s and Yuri’s directions, but the nudge from Phichit and the gentle smiles from Guang Hong and Leo got him back on track. Viktor appeared highly professional and Yuuri wasn’t entirely sure if the intense look he was getting from the other was supposed to be intimidating or just part of the business. Nevertheless, he continued to relay the new information he had gotten from his bosses and tried to just avoid Viktor’s eyes for the most part.

* * *

 

After the meeting was over Seung-gil quickly exited the room. He didn’t stay to listen if there were any pleasantries exchanged after that, it wasn’t too important to him.

Walking down the hallway he thought about the whole thing. He wasn’t exactly sure why he had even bothered to come here in the first place. He barely spoke up during the negotiations and was mainly just an onlooker. There were no apparent reasons for him to travel half round the world and yet he still did that for a second time, even after the whole fiasco with the Thai representative.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He did have a small reason for coming here and if he was being honest with himself, he knew that it was selfish. He just wanted to have a break from the problems back home and he would have been lying if he had said that he wasn’t running away. Even if for a few days, he could forget the ever present atmosphere of tension and passive-aggressive remarks thrown his way by his family and associates. It wasn’t too different here, though, but it was less constricting. He wasn’t the one who had to keep up his image at all times like the Russians or the Japanese, even if the later of the two seemed to have forgotten that.

Seung-gil sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He probably shouldn’t have thought that, but it was hard to forget what had been drilled into his mind all of his life. From what he had seen, the Japanese representative didn’t seem too bad, perhaps just bland. Still, he didn’t feel like doing anything about his demeanour. He was here to escape his problems, not to make friends.

As he finally got to his room, he slowly opened his door as to not let Fang jump out and run away. He had brought his pet this time, partly because it seemed like a good idea to have a trained animal if anything similar happened to an attack and partly because he didn’t want to let him be alone in that stressful place. He could also keep his owner company during the few days that they stayed here.

The strange thing was that Seung-gil found his room devoid of any activity. He looked around to see if his pet was maybe just sleeping somewhere, but he was nowhere to be seen. Seung-gil groaned and shut the door behind him as he began walking down the hallway again. Some idiot must have let Fang out when they opened his room to put his luggage or to inspect it for any dangers. Great, now he had to run around this massive house that he didn’t know too well while in search of an active animal.

“Fang!” he shouted through the empty corridors. Everyone else seemed to be somewhere else, probably playing some games or something equally childish. Sometimes Seung-gil wondered if they were really all part of a dangerous life-style that required them to be alert at all times.

“Fang! Come here boy!” He looked around from room to room that wasn’t a private one. He had run into a few people working as security, but no one had seen his dog anywhere.

_I swear, if they did something to him-_ He heard a small bark before a different dog rounded a corner and ran past him, down the path leading back to the lounge area and the front door of the mansion. He looked at the large poodle for a few moments before hearing a more familiar bark coming from where the other dog had appeared. Seung-gil quickly stepped around the corner, one hand steadied on the wall and saw something a bit unusual.

Fang, who had usually only stayed by his side and didn’t show much interest in anyone else, was now happily licking the face of a person who was kneeling down and cheerfully laughing as they ran their hands through his pet’s soft fur. The person seemed to hear him and turned around with a bright smile plastered on their face.

“Hello,” said the man who Seung-gil now recognized as the one who had gotten attacked the last time and the one whom he had inspected for serious injuries. “Umm… is this cutie yours?”

Seung-gil stared at him for a few precious seconds before his mind began screaming at him that he needed to give an answer. “Yes..?” He wasn’t quite sure if this was the same Fang he knew. He had never seen his pet this interested in another person.

“Oh that’s great then,” the man chirped and Seung-gil reminded himself that his name was Phichit. He hadn’t bothered with learning about everyone that came here, but he had stored their names at the back of his mind. That hadn’t meant that he would try and be polite with them.

“I had met Viktor’s pet and then yours came from out of nowhere,” he continued to speak. “I was worried since he didn’t have a collar or a tag, but I’m glad that you found him so fast!” Phichit beamed at the Korean man, still from his spot on the ground and being smothered by the dog, and Seung-gil couldn’t find it in himself to be angry at this stranger who had practically stolen away his pet. Slightly annoyed, yes, but not angry.

“Fang doesn’t like collars,” he found himself saying. “They’re too constricting.”

“That makes sense.” Phichit ran his fingers a few more times along the dog’s back as his tail wagged back and forth enthusiastically. “Maybe I should bring my pets next time too. I think they’re too lonely without me.”

“As long as they don’t cause any problems.” Seung-gil crouched a little to pet Fang’s head. “I figure your injuries are alright?” he asked without looking at the other man.

“Oh, those things? Yeah, I’m fine,” the other laughed it off the same as the last time and Seung-gil found himself clenching his teeth at that reaction. That was really no way to talk about life threatening situations.

“Good thing I’m a light sleeper or else I don’t think I would have managed to get away with just a few scratches.” Phichit’s voice sounded carefree and Seung-gil finally looked at him with his eyes narrowed and his nose scrunched up.

“Those weren’t ‘just scratches’. You needed stitches after at least one of them and you had a few broken ribs,” he said in an irritated tone. “Good thing that Japanese guy was there to save you or else we would probably not be talking right now.”

“I’m really thankful to Yuuri.” Phichit didn’t seem too put off by his cold way of speaking. “That wasn’t the first time he bailed me out of an iffy situation.”

“At least he’s useful for something then.”

“He’s really great, actually!” The Thai man’s eyes seemed to liven up as he began speaking about his friend. “He just doesn’t like showing it, but I think you two could even become friends if you tried to give each other a chance!”

“That seems… unlikely,” Seung-gil let his voice soothe down.

“Don’t worry, I can be a mediator if you ever want to,” Phichit offered as he put a hand of his shoulder and gave him a bright smile.

“That probably won’t happen, but thank you for the offer.” The Korean was surprised that he actually meant what he was saying. That sure was unusual. He wasn’t the type to socialize too much and yet he was having a relatively normal conversation with someone he barely knew. Someone who looked way too good for a person who had gotten their whole face slashed up and sported no visible scars whatsoever.

Phichit caught his stare. “Are you looking for the scars?” he said as if he had read the other’s mind. Seung-gil only nodded. “They’re there alright, but who would I be if I didn’t know how to hide them and keep my face fresh for those daily selfies?”

“Make-up?” Seung-gil asked as he inspected the right cheek, a place where he had remembered to have had the biggest gash.

“Sure is!” Phichit laughed but as Seung-gil brought up his arm to see if it was true the Thai man immediately caught it in his with a swift movement. “No touching, though. You might ruin it,” he said mirthfully as his fingers squeezed a bit over Seung-gil’s wrist. The other looked at his caught hand for a few moments before forcefully taking it back. He looked Phichit up and down before relaxing his face and patting his leg.

“Come here, Fang. We’re going back,” he beckoned his pet. The dog reluctantly left Phichit’s side and Seung-gil sighed once again. He turned to look at the other man who was still giving him a smile, though one that was more gentle than his previous wide ones. “He seems to have taken a liking to you, so I guess that means we’ll be seeing you around sometime.”

Seung-gil didn’t wait for an answer as he began walking back to his room, but after a few moments he heard Phichit’s energetic voice.

“You can bet on that!”

For the first time in a while Seung-gil felt his lips curve up in a small smile of his own.

* * *

 

With less people this time around, Chris’ place felt a lot emptier, though Viktor couldn’t really complain. He would have come completely alone if he knew that Yuuri would show up as well. Honestly, now that he was thinking about it, that didn’t sound like a bad idea. A private meeting would probably be beneficial somewhere in the future.

He felt so glad once he heard that the Japanese Yakuza didn’t reject his offer for further negotiations and even sent out the same people to carry them out. He knew that Yuuri was just a low-rank whose only job was to be a glorified stand-in, but that didn’t matter in the least to Viktor. If anyone had asked him, he would have told them that the Japanese man would make an excellent leader if only he was given a chance. Admittedly, Viktor hadn’t anticipated the meek man to do a one-eighty so quickly after only knowing him for a short period of time, but he sure as hell wasn’t complaining. The way he managed to so easily slip between such different personas made Viktor that much more interested. He could have gushed about how amazing the man was to anyone who would have listened, and that was the case once their group had gotten home. Needless to say, Yuri had gotten fed up with him before their car even parked while Mila seemed a bit too intrigued. Georgi only looked extremely uncomfortable, but didn’t say much on the matter.

Sadly, this time only Yuri could join him as Mila and Georgi had some unfinished business back home. Viktor didn’t feel too confident in leaving Georgi unattended, but he wanted to trust the other man to learn from his mistakes. Even though Yuri had complained the whole way here, Viktor knew that the kid actually enjoyed this place. In a way, it was sort of like a vacation for them, even if they were on official matters.

Once they had gotten there, Viktor couldn’t wait for the Japanese group to arrive. He paced around the meeting room for at least half an hour and he was sure that he had gotten at least a few apprehensive glances. The moment Yuuri had arrived and greeted everyone in that soft tone of his, Viktor was glad that he had already been sitting. He tried to be professional when business began, but every time the reigns were taken from him by the man sitting at the other end of the table, he couldn’t help but stare at those slender fingers that gripped tightly at the papers, crinkling them slightly in the process, and at those wide brown eyes that seemed so unsure at first and yet had gotten more confident as time passed.

The meeting went and passed and Viktor found himself wandering the halls alone. Yuri had run off to somewhere, dropping a comment about checking the security of this place for himself. Viktor had taken his time alone to look for his pet that he had brought with himself this time. He had argued that Makkachin would be of great help if anything dangerous were to happen, but really he had just wanted to bring his precious dog along with him. It wasn’t the first time Makkachin had visited Chris’ house and so Viktor had let him roam around freely, only getting an offhanded reminder from Chris that he was to stay clear of his cat. Viktor made a scene instructing Makkachin to do just that and eventually let him go explore the place.

Now that he had nothing better to do for the time being, he had decided to find where his pet had sauntered off to. He lazily strolled down the many corridors that the mansion had, greeting a few of the guards here and there. After a while he walked back to the lounge area that had been near the main entrance. As he was reaching the place, he heard that familiar yapping sound before it was followed by a loud thud and a muffled yelp. Worried that his pet might have attacked someone on accident, Viktor hurried down the main stairs and basically ran around the sofas so see what had happened.

He was met by a wonderful sight of Makkachin happily licking the confused but also joyful face of the person beneath him, who just so happened to be the one whom he had hoped to run into today. Yuuri was trying to keep the dog away from smothering him, but it was clear that he wasn’t putting too much force into that action. It took a few moments for him to finally manage to get up, though it was only on his elbows.

Viktor smiled at the interaction and leaned down a bit so that Yuuri could see him. “I see you met Makkachin,” he said as the other man momentarily froze up.

Yuuri’s eyes widened and his glasses had slipped to the tip of his nose, so Viktor could see their warm colour even better.

“Oh…” he exhaled before looking back at Makkachin, who was still atop him. “I had wondered if it was him. I had only seen him in pictures before.”

“Seems that he’s taken a liking to you,” Viktor said as he looked at his pet, now switching to nuzzling Yuuri. _He’s not the only one._

“I wonder why?” Yuuri looked genuinely surprised. He finally managed to fully get up back on his feet and took Makkachin’s paws in his hands as the dog stood on his hind legs to reach him better. “He does remind me of my own dog, though.”

“Did you bring it with yourself? I heard that I wasn’t the only one with a pet this time.” Viktor jumped the chance for something that would connect them.

“Ah, no.” Yuuri got a melancholy look on his face. “He died last year.”

Viktor mentally hit himself for asking that. He hadn’t yet seen that expression on the other’s face before and he didn’t feel too good being the one who caused that.

“At least I got to meet Makkachin.” Yuuri’s lips curved into a small smile and he bent down to ruffle the top of the dog’s head, flapping his ears a bit in the process.

_Okay, good, we can go with that._

“I was just planning on taking him for a walk outside. Would you want to join us?” Viktor tried to sound nonchalant, thought in his mind he was repeating a mantra for Yuuri to say yes.

“This is for the deal, right?” Yuuri gave him a more serious questioning look.

“Of course,” he smiled.

“Alright, if that’s the case I can’t really say no. Just let me get my coat.”

“Let’s meet in ten at the entrance then,” Viktor said as he watched the other nod and turn around to head for his room. He waited till Yuuri was far enough before he made a small fist pump and beckoned Makkachin to follow him. His pet would be getting a huge treat for giving him this chance.

As promised, Yuuri was waiting for Viktor at the door, all bundled up in a warm coat, a huge blue scarf and a cute kitten-eared hat. He looked prepared for the cold weather outside, whereas Viktor only threw on a comfortable long-coat and a loose scarf. He figured it couldn’t be worse than what he was used to back home.

The air outside was chilly, but not too much. The weather was actually quite nice as the sun shone on the puffy snow and made it sparkle beneath it. Makkachin took off to play in it as the two of them walked slowly alongside the mansion, their breaths coming out in small puffs and their feet loudly crunching the snow beneath them.

“It’s really different from where I come.” Yuuri was the first one to speak up. “We barely get any snow at all, but here it seems like there’s no end to it.”

“I’d like to see that someday,” Viktor hummed as he thought what Yuuri’s home could look like. Probably something warm and welcoming.

“It’s nothing too interesting,” the other said bashfully. “I’m not even sure if my bosses would want you to come there. I’ve already stepped out of place by asking to represent us again.”

_Yuuri wanted to come?_ Viktor beamed at those words, but forced himself to not scare the other man off by staying on this topic for too long. “But the ones that came with you seemed familiar as well. Was it their own choice?” He had seen the men in the mansion and had thought of his own people who had accompanied him. This time around only the few trusted ones had travelled here and he was glad to lend them to Chris.

“It was, but I’m not sure if they really wanted it.” Yuuri gave a weak laugh. “They’re probably thinking of this as babysitting.”

That sounded… odd. “Really?” Viktor moved a bit to face the other better as they stopped in their tracks. “But from what I had seen they appeared to look up to you. They sounded very polite and listened to everything you told them without any opposition. Even some of my people still like to question me, but yours seemed quite loyal.”

It looked like Viktor’s words took Yuuri aback as he stared at Viktor for a few moments. He blinked a few times before exhaling a big puff of warm air and looking down. “I didn’t think of that.” He sounded tired.

At that moment, Makkachin came running back to them and began jumping around the two as he barked energetically. He moved between their legs and Viktor tried to step slightly to the side so that his pet wouldn’t bump into him, but the movement came out uncoordinated and just as he tried to move back, Makkachin ran behind him, making the man stumble and before he knew it, the world tilted and his back was met with the soft snow underneath it. Makkachin walked to him and began licking at his face as he tried to understand what had happened. After a few seconds, the harsh glare of the sun was intercepted with Yuuri’s face looking down on him. He wore an easy smile and his cheeks and nose had already begun turning red from the stinging cold.

“Looks like Makkachin’s been making everyone fall for him today,” he said as he extended a hand for Viktor to take. The other grabbed it, partly wishing that there wasn’t a mitten on it so that he could have felt at least a small amount of skinship with Yuuri. He wanted to say something, but all he could do was look awestruck at the new emotions that Yuuri was presenting him today. Had it really been a month since they had last met? It felt a lot longer. Viktor hadn’t realized how much he had wanted to see the other.

Yuuri gave him another unsure smile as he began dusting off the snow from his back. Viktor thanked him before bending down and scooping a handful of it in his hands. He turned around, grinning at Yuuri as he tossed it in the air, making it fall down on the two of them and also Makkachin, who jumped around trying to catch some of it in his mouth. Apparently that was all it took to make Yuuri genuinely burst out laughing as he covered his face with his hands. That was one of the most amazing sounds Viktor had ever heard and he wanted to listen to it better without the mittens muffling it, so without thinking too much he raised his hands to move them out of the way, gently taking Yuuri’s wrists in his hands and moving them to the sides.

Yuuri’s glasses had fogged up a bit from being covered, but for once Viktor was glad that he was taller since he could still see his surprised face and the eyes that sparkled from the sunlight. He brushed his fingers lightly over the other’s cheek.

“You had some snow on it.” That was a lie. All of it had already melted from Yuuri’s warm skin, but Viktor figured he should probably come up with some sort of excuse.

“Ah, thanks,” Yuuri said and it looked like his cheeks gained a stronger shade of red. He then raised his own hand, taking off the mitten, and brushed it along Viktor’s hair. “You also had some snow.”

The Russian was now positive that Yuuri had been planning to take him out with a heart attack. That sure was a first.

Since the weather was great that day, they spent their time enjoying it, mostly just walking around the perimeter and making small talk. At one point they saw Chris walking out of the mansion with a few people in tow. He noticed the two of them and asked Viktor to watch the house while he was gone. He said he needed to take care of some business with the local police that had come up and that he should come back in a few hours or so. Viktor promised his friend that everything would be under control and he waved him off with Yuuri by his side.

After that was done, Viktor offered the other to try building something. Getting an exasperated look from him, Viktor tried to brush it off, saying that everyone needed some sort of vacation – even them.

“Relaxing for a bit doesn’t sound _too_ bad…” Yuuri gave him a quiet answer before gathering a ball of snow in his hands. “Okay, what should we build then?”

Of course, Viktor offered Makkachin. The pet deserved a monument for all he had done today.

Half of the time they spent building a snow poodle Viktor just lightly patted on the already smooth surface as he let his eyes wander over to Yuuri. The Japanese man seemed to lose himself in the moment, focusing solely on what he was doing and carefully moulding the snow with his hands. At one point he even took off his mittens so that he could sculpt the face better and as Viktor watched his fingers grow redder from the cold, he wondered how the other would react if he offered to take his hands in his own to warm them up.

That thought was cut short by the sound of someone stomping towards them, crushing the snow beneath their feet with a lot more force than necessary. That was followed by an annoyed ‘hey’ and the two of them turned their attention to the newcomer.

Yuri was making his way along the shovelled path before he took off to the side where Viktor and Yuuri were. Once he got close enough to them that he didn’t need to shout, he threw both of them and their snow poodle an irritated glance.

“I don’t want to know,” he said. “Do you know how long it took me to find you? Why do we even have phones if your old ass doesn’t know how to use one except for taking pictures?” He directed the question at Viktor, but it looked slightly off as he kept his stare on Yuuri. The Japanese man looked quizzically at Viktor and then back at Yuri.

“I probably just turned off the sound.” Viktor put his arms up in a small shrug as he smiled at the teen. “Did you want to talk about something?”

“Not anymore.” Yuri rolled his eyes before he turned his attention back to Yuuri. “But I think I might want to share a few words with him.”

“Me?” Yuuri pointed to himself, sounding quite surprised.

“Who else do you fucking see, huh?” Yuri spat and then a smirk grew on his face. “Though you probably wouldn’t be able to notice someone else with that huge body of yours in the way. How many layers did you put on? You look like a fat pig in that getup.”

“At least it’s a cute piggy,” Viktor chimed in.

“Anyway, come with me,” Yuri said as he began walking further towards a more open area. Yuuri took a few more moments standing in his spot so the other whipped his head back. “That wasn’t a fucking offer.”

Yuuri threw Viktor one last glance and the Russian nodded for him to go. He figured Yuri just wanted to chat a little. He could just wait here with Makkachin until they came back. Yuuri took after the blond kid and the two of them walked from Viktor’s earshot.

Yuuri waited silently as Yuri walked in the snow. He was about to speak up since the silence was drawing out, but the other suddenly turned around and harshly pointed his index finger at Yuuri’s chest. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked in a low growl.

“Huh?” was the brilliant answer Yuuri gave him.

“Don’t pretend that you don’t know. Personally, I’ve been getting sick from always hearing about you. He almost never shut up for a whole damn month and I was the one who was closest to him for most of that that time, so guess who had to endure it?” Yuri pointed his finger a few more times and the Japanese man was kind of glad that he put on this many layers as they softened the jab.

“I don’t think I’m following.”

“Sure you’re not. With your reaction speed it’s no wonder you couldn’t catch the intruder that time.” Yuri stepped back a bit and grinned at him. “I’ll give it to you, you weren’t too bad at actually managing to get there in time, but honestly, if I was there that fucker wouldn’t had been able to run off like that. I would had been right on his heels.”

Yuuri wasn’t sure if he was being complimented or insulted, so he just tilted his head to the side and gave the kid a smile. “You could be right, but you weren’t there and I prioritised the health of my friend over catching some mystery person at night in an unfamiliar territory.”

“Of course I’m right!” Yuri raised his voice. “I grew up in way worse weather, this would had been nothing.”

The teen’s fuming was cut off by another person suddenly sliding their way next to them on a snowboard. The two of them looked at the newcomer as they took off their snow goggles and scarf from their face, only to reveal the bright obnoxious smile of JJ.

“I overheard something about being better than someone else. Are you talking about a competition?”

“Are you seriously snowboarding by yourself?” Yuri raised an eyebrow. “Wow, that’s lame. Even from you.”

“I wouldn’t blame a kid for not being able to enjoy some snowboarding. What are you, like twelve, right?” JJ’s smile grew before he turned his attention to Yuuri. “At least you understand me.”

“Uhh, excuse you?” Yuri’s tone grew a lot angrier as his face turned into a snarl. “I’m fourteen and my birthday is going to be in less than a month, so fuck off.”

“Ooh, so does that mean you’d take on a challenge with me?” JJ put his hands on his hips as he cocked his head.

“You bet your loser ass that I will and I’ll wipe the floor with you!” Yuri then turned around and cupped his hands over his mouth to shout in Viktor’s direction, “Hey, I need something to be arranged!”

That seemed to catch Viktor’s attention as he looked back from the snow Makkachin he was still prettying up. He made his way towards their small group with an exited look on his face.

“What are you planning?” he asked Yuri.

“We’re going to have some winter Olympics to see who the better northerner is.” JJ answered for him.

“Sounds exiting, I love competitions.” Viktor’s voice sounded giddy as he turned to Yuuri. “Are you participating as well?”

“I don’t know?” Yuuri answered him, feeling lost at the whole ordeal that was happening.

“We can invite everyone!” JJ interrupted. “Then we’ll truly be able to see who’s the best.”

It didn’t take long for the news of the mini tournament to go around and after just ten minutes everyone was already gathered at the entrance of the mansion. Well, everyone except for Seung-gil, who was nowhere to be found.

“He’ll come around eventually,” said Phichit as Viktor was going around telling the guards to not mind what they were about to do and to probably get some warmer clothes. “I think I saw him in one of the windows, but he just looked kinda annoyed before walking away somewhere.”

The grand idea that Yuri had come up with was to turn off all of the heating in the building and open the main doors as wide as possible. After that, he proceeded to get a hose from one of Chris’ confused men and climb to the top of the grand stairs. Viktor had found a few sleds, as he was the one who knew the house the best, and JJ brought them up the stairs. Yuuri just watched in horror as Yuri sprayed the water from the stairs, then on the patch of floor that led towards the entrance and then just for good measure, he hosed down the stairs outside as well. Meanwhile Phichit, Leo and Guang Hong only documented everything on their phones with a few thrown in comments.

It didn’t take too long for the water to freeze up, but the problem was that there were only three sleds that Viktor had found, so not everyone could participate. Phichit was forbidden from doing that as Yuuri didn’t want his friend to overexert himself. He reminded the other that he had just recently come back from a mission and so the Thai man offered to be the referee. To his relief, Yuuri got instructed by Yuri to watch one side of the finish line while Viktor got to be in charge of the other. That left JJ with one sled, Yuri with the second and Guang Hong roped Leo into sharing the third one.

“That’s unfair, they’re gonna reach the finish faster with the two of them,” Yuri complained as the four of them waited for Phichit’s gunshot to signal the start.

“Aww, afraid that you’re not going to win?” JJ teased.

“I’m still going to be faster than your big ego,” the teen snarled just as they heard the shot.

From where Yuuri stood with Viktor they couldn’t see too well what was happening inside the house, but all he heard was Phichit’s gunshot followed by a lot of loud screaming. The Thai man laughed as he filmed everything and ran a bit to chase the contenders. Just like Yuri had predicted, Guang Hong’s and Leo’s team was the first out the door with the older of the two raising his voice in panic and the younger putting his arms up in the air from excitement. That wasn’t the best idea as their sled steered from the main path and Guang Hong’s shouts of enthusiasm turned into ones of fear as well, as Leo tried to get them back on track. For a moment Yuuri was afraid that they would run into him and he was begging to slowly step back, but that wasn’t the case. The two people team managed to run straight into one of the few statues that were placed around the entrance and do a flip with their sled as they knocked over a cupid and landed in the snow.

Yuri laughed as his sled passed them and flipped them off, but that also resulted in him losing balance as his sled turned slightly to the right and before he knew it he was heading straight for the treeline. The whole thing was too fast to control and so he crashed right into a pine, making most of the snow gathered on its branches fall on him.

The only one who managed to gracefully cross the finish line was JJ, but no one was even there to congratulate him as Phichit had run off to see what exactly had happened to Leo and Guang Hong, while Yuuri and Viktor had left their posts to check on Yuri.

Phichit found the two a bit dazed, but otherwise okay. The statue, on the other hand, had one of its arms knocked off, which laid broken on the ground. Phichit took as many photos as he could manage while Guang Hong ran inside before shortly returning with some duct tape.

“How did you find that?” Phichit asked as he jumped from one leg to another, snapping incriminating pictures of the broken cupid.

“I asked one of the guards for it. He didn’t want to give it to me at first, but he complied after I took out one of my knives,” Guang Hong explained as he beckoned Leo to help him get the statue back on its pedestal.

“Just make sure to give it back,” Leo said as they pushed it back with a grunt.

“I will,” Guang Hong hummed before climbing up on Leo’s shoulders and beginning to wrap the tape around the arm as the other held it in place.

“You sure work fast together,” Phichit commented with a bright smile as the two finished everything up in just a few minutes. Admittedly, the statue looked like it was going to fall apart any moment, but if you looked from the right angle you could barely tell anything had happened.

A bit further down the slope Yuuri was helping Yuri out of the pile of snow the other had found himself in while Viktor watched in amusement. Nothing had really happened to the teen, but Yuuri still fused over him, dusting off the snow and triple checking if he got any injuries while muttering to himself that he had known that this would be a bad idea.

Yuri stayed oddly silent and Viktor patted him on the back, congratulating him for not dying from hitting a tree. He then went over to see what had happened with the statue while Yuuri stayed behind with a quiet Yuri. He waited for a bit, seeing if the other would do anything, but all he got was a few glances in his direction before the Russian would turn away again.

_Does he want something?_ Yuuri thought as he raised his hand to his head. Yuri’s eyes did seem to wander there and he realised why when he felt his hat. With a silent laugh, Yuuri took it off and extended it towards the other.

“I think you should cover your head just in case. It wouldn’t be good if you caught a cold from this.”

“I’ve lived in Siberia for a while, the cold means nothing to me,” Yuri grumbled before he turned around and saw what was being offered to him. His cheeks gained a slightly brighter colour and he stared at the hat for a few seconds.

“I’ll exchange it for your earmuffs,” Yuuri smiled at him and not waiting for an answer, carefully took them off the other’s head and put his hat on it. He then put the earmuffs on and adjusted them to fit him better. “We can change back once we get inside,” he said and Yuri only nodded.

* * *

 

The second competition was conjured after Viktor mentioned there being a lake on the other side of the mansion. Their group found the lake, which was more like a pond to be honest, and a shed filled with all sorts of equipment. Yuri dragged out a small wooden boat, though Yuuri kept telling him that the water was frozen over.

“You can’t row them on ice,” he pleaded, but the Russian wasn’t listening as he barked an order for JJ to take the other one out. His spunk seemed to have returned way too quickly.

“We’re going to have two teams of three, two to row and one to navigate,” Phichit explained, taking on his role as the announcer and the referee. “It’s your choice how you divide up.”

“Let’s make ‘team North America’,” JJ offered to Guang Hong and Leo, though the two didn’t seem too enthusiastic about that.

“Fine, then I’ll take Viktor and the pig,” Yuri said before turning to Yuuri. “You better be damn good at rowing.”

“I still don’t understand how we’re going to do that _on ice._ ” Yuuri’s voice sounded exasperated, but somewhat already resigned to what was happening.

“We’ll just have to put a lot of force into it,” Viktor said as he put an arm around his shoulders. “I think it’ll be fun.”

The goal was to get to the other side of the lake as fast as possible. If not, then just as far as they could without breaking anything. On ‘team North America’ Guang Hong was the navigator while Leo and JJ took the paddles. The other one, named by Yuri ‘team Russia’, though Yuuri had tried reminding him that he wasn’t from there, Yuri was the navigator and Viktor took the rowing alongside Yuuri. Apparently that didn’t go too well as an angry Yuri soon took over the rowing from Yuuri, almost shouting in his ear about putting some more muscle into it.

Seung-gil finally joined them, walking in on the collective screaming of Yuri, encouragement from JJ and confused instructions on where to go by Guang Hong and Yuuri. He gave the whole commotion a raised eyebrow and was almost about to turn around and head back into the house before Phichit noticed him and dragged him to be his second commentator.

“You came just in time,” he chirped. “I think ‘team Russia’ is winning, but who really knows.” He stepped closer to the Korean and pointed his phone at the two of them. “Smile for the camera.”

Seung-gil didn’t change his expression in the least.

* * *

 

‘Team Russia’ was indeed the winner, though they didn’t reach the end of the lake. They won by the fact that ‘team North America’ broke one of their paddles, even if from his excitement Yuri shortly broke his as well.

The next competition that Phichit came up, with the advice from Yuuri who was growing more anxious about them ruining all of Christophe’s things, was a snow sculpture one. Everyone could go into teams or work alone and so in the end Yuri and JJ went alone while Guang Hong and Leo formed a duo once again. Yuuri was about to start building something alone, but Viktor offered to join in and so they formed the second team. Seung-gil adamantly refused to participate.

Viktor offered that since they already had some practise, they could try building another Makkachin, this time only a lot bigger. Yuuri immediately agreed and began working even more enthusiastically than before. Viktor figured that even if the other didn’t show it, he actually did really want to win. Once the snow poodle was beginning to get larger than either of them, Yuuri took a step back and looked at it with an intense stare.

“We’ll need to get higher somehow,” he said before looking at Viktor. “I can’t possibly ask you to carry me on your shoulders, so I think you should get on mine.”

That took the Russian by surprise. “You’ll be able to carry me?”

“I should be able to. I know I don’t look like it, but I’m not entirely weak,” Yuuri said as he crouched down. “If I drop you I’ll take the full punishment.”

Viktor was glad that Yuuri had turned away from him, since he wasn’t sure if his expression could barely even be considered professional. To his mild surprise Yuuri was indeed more than capable of easily lifting him up with only a little sway from Viktor as he hadn’t expected the other to stand up so quickly. He forced himself to focus on moulding their snow statue perfectly, though it was quite nice feeling Yuuri’s hands pressed into his legs, holding the other up so that he wouldn’t fall.

After a few minutes Viktor got another idea, though. “Yuuri, I just can’t get the face like how you had done it. I think you’ll have to get up here,” he said, putting a bit of pleading into his voice.

“But I can’t,” Yuuri answered nervously. “I’m not tall enough.”

“Put me down.” The words came out as an order and Viktor was quickly lowered from Yuuri’s shoulders. The Japanese man looked anxious and had cast his gaze downwards. He was probably thinking that he had done or said something wrong and that Viktor was now angry. The other only smiled and crouched down.

“Get on my shoulders,” he said and waited for Yuuri to do so. After a few moments had passed and he hadn’t, Viktor turned back with a small frown. “Yuuri, I’m asking nicely.”

That seemed to do the thing for the other as he quickly apologized and shuffled to steady himself as he sat down. Viktor wasn’t as quick in standing up as he had been, but the Russian still felt pretty proud of himself once he did.

“Just do your magic and we’ll be sure to win,” he said in a sing-song voice. Yuuri could only agree as he began to fix up the snow poodle’s face while an exited Makkachin barked his own encouragements at Viktor’s feet.

They had swayed a few times, Viktor almost losing balance at one point and Yuuri’s voice reaching nearly screaming, but all ended well. Once the Russian let the other man down, he was sure that his back would not be thanking him the next day, but that was just a minor inconvenience compared to the look of awe that he got from Yuuri once he had gotten the chance to fully see what the two of them had made.

While everyone was busy with their sculptures, Phichit and Seung-gil had stepped further away as to not see what they were doing. The Thai man said he wanted to be surprised and the other only followed him, since he didn’t really feel like staying back with the others. Phichit decided that he would teach Seung-gil how to make snow bunnies and proceeded to make one as an example. The Korean only watched in silence as the other man balled some snow, put in a couple of small black rocks and inserted two leaves for the ears. He explained that you could also use berries for the eyes and even when Seung-gil felt that this wasn’t really important information for him, he still listened to everything the other said in that enthusiastic tone of his. When asked what he thought, he did find it in himself to at least comment that it looked ‘cute’, though he couldn’t see the use of it.

Phichit announced the end of the third competition and went around, theatrically judging all of the entries. Leo and Guang Hong had made a moderate sized teddy bear which looked quite adorable. Phichit made both of them stand at their creation as he took a commemorative picture and gushed how it resembled Guang Hong. Next was JJ who had just built two big J’s. Phichit commented on its uniqueness and proceeded to the next person without taking a picture.

Yuri had built a large phallic figure and carved two huge J’s in the middle of it. Phichit couldn’t stop laughing for a whole minute before Seung-gil patted him on the back so that he wouldn’t choke on his saliva. JJ remarked how from an artistic perspective, it was actually really well made and even took a picture next to it.

“I just sent it to my girlfriend and she agrees that you’ve got talent!” he said cheerfully to Yuri, who only mimicked a vomiting motion.

Lastly, Phichit went to Yuuri’s and Viktor’s sculpture and whistled in astonishment. He made the two also stand next to it to take a picture and ordered Yuuri to stand closer to Viktor since he was blocking the poodle too much where he had been standing previously.

Phiciht announced that the winners of this round were the two of them and that that would probably wrap up their little competition as the sun had begun to slowly set. Yuri decided that it meant that ‘team Russia’ had won.

* * *

 

Even though he had said that the tournament was over, Phichit still went into the shed where they had found the boats and proceeded to exit it with some music equipment, shouting to everyone that he had also found some skates inside. That quirked the interest from most of the group and shortly they were sporting skates and had taken off on the frozen lake.

The first ones to do so were JJ, Yuri and Viktor, all of whom had come from colder countries. JJ boasted that he was practically born from an ice hole and Yuri challenged him into a sort of dance off on the ice, saying that he _lived_ on the ice.

As soon as he had set the music system and put on a song, Phichit joined the ones on the ice, basically dragging Seung-gil alongside him. Leo and Guang Hong took more to the side and lazily skated to the flowing beat of the music while Yuuri, even though he had put on skates as well, just sat on the small bench that had been built on the peer and watched everyone. He was surprised to see that all of them had some knowledge of skating, though he had known that Viktor and Yuri were good at it. Well, good wasn’t entirely the right word. He watched Viktor basically do a full out impromptu performance and just couldn’t take his eyes off the Russian. He moved so easily on the ice, all of his motions so fluid and elegant. He even skated to a more free area so that he could get some momentum from the crossovers that he began doing which led to a cleanly executed triple toe loop, followed by a few more jumps and spins, which Yuuri was sure were mainly meant for the Russian to show off his skills.

Yuuri was transfixed with Viktor’s performance, so when the other suddenly stopped and turned in his direction he felt like a dear in the headlights. Viktor made his way to Yuuri with a T-stop right at his feet and gave him a smile.

“Why aren’t you joining us? Could this be the thing that you actually aren’t good at?” Yuuri wasn’t entirely sure if the smile matched the words he was hearing and he lowered his head in embarrassment.

“I don’t really do it too often. I’d much rather just watch you.”

“Oh, so you like watching me?” Viktor asked, a bit of teasing lacing his words.

Yuuri felt his cheeks flush and was happy that the cold had already made them red beforehand. “I meant everyone here,” he tried to explain himself. “But you were also really amazing…” he said in a lot quieter voice as he hid his mouth beneath his scarf.

Viktor’s eyes lit up from that response and he extended both of his hands towards Yuuri. “Come on,” he beckoned. “I can help you get more comfortable on it.”

“No, no, I really shouldn’t.” Yuuri shook his own hands in front of himself, but Viktor managed to grab them and pull the other from his seat.

He hadn’t anticipated Yuuri to put so much strength into holding back and Viktor found that his footing was clearly too unstable, resulting into him accomplishing his task of getting the other to stand up, but also slipping down on the ice himself, dragging both of them down on the cold surface.

At first Viktor was just glad that he hadn’t hit his head in the fall, but that was soon forgotten as he stared up at Yuuri, who had caught himself on his hands and was now hovering dangerously close to the other man. The sound of the music playing somewhere in the background felt muffled as the two of them looked at each other for a few moments without either saying anything. Yuuri’s eyes looked a lot darker in the growing shadow of the evening and Viktor noticed that his lips were chapped, most likely from the cold air that he wasn’t used to.

Viktor wasn’t sure what he was planning on doing as his hand began reaching up to Yuuri’s face, but he was quickly startled with the sound of someone skating up to them and barely holding in the sounds coming from their mouth. Yuuri snapped his head to look at the person while Viktor lazily turned his own.

Phichit was covering his mouth with one hand while the other held his phone. “Oh don’t mind me,” he said as he finally moved his hand from his face. “I’m just not sure if it’s really healthy to stay too long on the ice like that.”

Yuuri quickly scuffled back to his feet, apologizing profusely at what had happened. Viktor only laughed and got up, massaging his shoulders a bit. He saw Phichit wink at him as he pointed to his phone. He mouthed ‘pictures’ before turning around and skating off towards the other people.

Viktor wasn’t sure how to feel once he had actually managed to get Yuuri on the ice with him and then proceeded to witness the other crush his assumptions. From the way Yuuri had talked, he had figured he only knew how to keep up on the ice, but the Japanese man refused to take his offered hand (for steadier balance, of course) and then went off to skate completely in sync with the resounding music. He didn’t do any jumps on the ice, but Viktor did watch him do a very nicely angled camel spin, his right leg straight and looking like he was just done practising ballet before coming here. Yuuri changed it into a combination spin which finally ended in him gradually slowing down and stretching his arms out.

Yuuri then moved back to Viktor, seemingly just realising what he had been doing and scratching the back of his head. “I didn’t mean that I didn’t know how to skate. It’s just that I don’t usually do it in front of other people.”

“And here I thought you had stopped surprising me,” Viktor sighed good-naturedly and shook his head. “Come on,” he smiled at Yuuri, who looked a bit lost at the compliment, “I want to see what else you can do.”

This time Viktor did take Yuuri’s hand in his and guided the other further away from the group. He noticed that the other man had taken off his gloves when he had stepped on the ice and smiled to himself as he lightly squeezed the cold fingers with his hand.

* * *

 

Chris got back just as the sun was about finished setting. The first thing he saw was the fact that the doors to his house were wide open and that there were suspicious tracks leading from them towards one of the statues and to the woods further down the slope. The second thing he noticed was the loud metal music that was playing from the back of the building as he made his way there. There were a few snow sculptures alongside one of the walls, ranging from cute animals to a flat out dick.

When he finally reached the back of his house, he was met with the sight of a group of people on the ice in various states of commotion. The music was almost deafening here, but it still didn’t drown out the screams of the little Russian as he was trying to attack JJ with one of his skates while Yuuri was holding him back with everything he had. Phichit, Leo and Guang Hong all had their phones out as they documented the whole ordeal. Viktor stood close to them with one hand on his cheek as he leaned his head on it and smiled.

Chris walked up to the one person sitting on a bench. Seung-gil was watching everything with a look of utter indifference.

“So what’s happening here?” He asked over the loud sound coming from a nearby speaker.

Seung-gil shrugged without really looking back at him. “I just don’t think the angry Russian should be let near the sound system. The music might have something to do with his mood swings.”

Chris nodded as if that made complete sense to him. This was going to take a while to clean up, that was for sure. He figured he could join the fun for now, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri: These Russian's keep staring at me, I wonder what they're thinking about. Probably something serious and intimidating.  
> Viktor: God, I'm so gay.  
> Yurio: Fuck, he's got a pretty good fashion sense.
> 
> The part with Seung-gil's dog also has a [small comic](http://yaboybokuto.tumblr.com/post/154084623303/cute-boi-and-doggo-a-love-story-for-the-mafia-au)
> 
> [Basically the summaries of the last two chapters](http://yaboybokuto.tumblr.com/post/155578711733/when-chris-isnt-home-the-swag-palace-was-supposed)


	5. Don't let the heat get to you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took longer, I was a bit busy with university stuff + wasn't feeling very well. I wanted to thank everyone for all of your comments and to those who wrote to me on tumblr, you guys are awesome ( ´ ▽ ` ) Not a lot's happening this time, but don't worry, there's still plenty to go down later

Honestly, Yuri had not expected things to last as long as they had. Knowing Viktor, he figured this whole game of make-peace was just one of his whims that would be soon forgotten and they could move on to other things.

That sure went fucking well.

Now Yuri was stuck at the same preppy mansion for who knows how long and it was already the third time in three months. And right after his birthday no less! That was just an amazing present, just spectacular, he couldn’t have asked for anything more than to be surrounded by pretentious assholes that only cared about themselves and thought that they were the most important person in the room.

Yuri didn’t even care about the looks he was getting as he rested his feet on the table and swung back from his chair. This was a waste of his time anyway – he didn’t do any of the talking, Viktor was there for that part, and since he was the youngest here, he figured he might as well use that to get away with this kind of stuff. Besides, if any of these idiots tried to say anything to him, they would be speaking to his boots and the blades hidden in them.

There was no point in listening to what was being talked about – he was mainly here for protection after all. He tuned out what the Japanese Yuuri was droning on while he stared at the ceiling and when Viktor’s long-ass monologue came on, he took out his phone for a better distraction. If he needed to know anything, Mila would tell him afterwards.

Finally, he was let out from that stuffy room. Of course, Viktor made a beeline towards the glasses guy and Yuri sure as hell didn’t want to stay around for that. He figured anything would be better than watching those two make goo-goo eyes at each other while pretending that both of them were here purely for professional reasons. He kicked a passing table with a vase on it for good measure and listened to the sweet sound of the porcelain breaking. He then walked a bit faster as to not be caught for being the culprit.

Sure, he had to begrudgingly admit that Yuuri wasn’t a complete loser that he had pegged him for when he first met the man. He still felt slightly jealous for not being the first one to react when the Thai guy got attacked and had to give it to Yuuri for being good enough to chase the intruder away and not get a single scratch in the process. Also, the more he had thought about it over the time, the less sense Viktor’s explanation made for the whole ordeal that went down the moment they had gotten there. Yuri had never seen him practice with swords, he knew the man preferred guns. So how had he been so good at taking out the whole room and not getting any blood on himself while the guy that had supposedly grown up with a blade in his hands from when he was an infant, had gotten drenched in it and had only stood on the side-lines?

Yuri knew that something was up, but he also knew that he wouldn’t get any straight answers from those two. He could always threaten Georgi. Maybe that could work?

While thinking that over, he found himself in the huge lounge area where there was always somebody spending their time. He got lucky, though, as no one had gotten there yet and he could take the whole place for himself. He sprawled over one of the giant sofas and dug his shoes in the soft pillows on the side. He could play some games on the TV in front of it while waiting to get news on how long they would be staying in this hellhole. Probably at least a few days. He feared it might turn into a week, seeing how _well_ everything was going. Yuri shuddered from the thought and amped the volume of the game. Might as well waste some time doing something entertaining. Not like the people here could offer him that.

At some point Yuri dozed off, most likely from the sheer amount of boredom he was feeling. Chris’ collection of games was way too small for his liking, but at least the sofa was comfortable and no one had really come to bother him during the time he had spent in the lounge.

Yuri woke up from some movement near him. He was just about ready to shoot up from where he had been lying, his hand reaching for the nearest weapon on himself, but that apparently wasn’t necessary as he saw that the person who now sat on the sofa was one of the big-shots that had come here. The guy had made himself comfortable on the same sofa that Yuri had been sleeping on, even though there were plenty more of those around there. At least he was sitting at the other side of it, scooted almost entirely to the corner so that Yuri’s legs would have more space.

The guy was holding the controller that the other had used just before choosing to nap instead and was staring at the TV screen with an unreadable look on his face. Yuri searched for a name in his head before finally vaguely remembering that the one sitting at his feet was the representative from Kazakhstan, Otabek.

Finally, Otabek paused the game he had been playing, put the controller gently besides him and looked at the slightly confused Yuri.

“I didn’t want to bother you, but you had stopped midway. I decided to just go through with it.” His voice was low, but Yuri knew that they were only a few years apart.

“Could have chosen a different place to sit,” he answered as he stretched, his feel slightly hitting the other’s leg.

“I could have, but this one’s directly in front of the screen.”

“So what, you want to play together?” Yuri’s lips curved to one side. If this guy was looking for a friend or something, he could have really chosen better.

“Not really.” The simple answer took Yuri slightly by surprise. Otabek then stood up from the sofa and began walking towards the entrance doors. When he was just a few steps away from them, he finally turned his head back and looked at the other. “So are you coming or not?”

“Coming where?” Yuri asked before realising that he had already gotten up from his seat.

“To the town. There might be something interesting to do.” Otabek’s eyes looked intense, but not threatening. Yuri returned the look for a few moments before deciding what the hell. He grabbed his jacket from where it was hung up near the doors and followed the other outside.

“Just so you know, if you try anything, I know how to incapacitate someone in under two seconds,” the Russian warned as they walked down the stairs.

“Wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” Otabek’s answer sounded genuine and Yuri found himself beginning to like the guy. Maybe he wasn’t as stuck-up as everyone else here.

“Are we going by car?” Yuri asked once they began walking towards where all the vehicles were parked.

“No, I came here on a motorbike,” the other answered as he reached the only one that stood amongst the cars. He took out a couple of helmets before tossing one of them to Yuri.

At first Yuri just sat down behind him, steadying his hands on the backseat, but as they began driving down the sloping road, he decided it would be more comfortable to just hold onto the boy in front of him. The air was still chilly and the cold wind passing them ruffled Yuri’s hair that wasn’t covered underneath the helmet. Neither of them said anything during the drive and Yuri wasn’t entirely sure if he would have even been able to hear anything.

The town that Chris lived nearby was fairly small. They had never lingered there, only passing it to get to the mansion quicker. Yuri hoped that Otabek knew where he was going, but if not, they could still probably find something.

The Kazakhstani boy decided to stop at what seemed to be a shopping district (or at least a bigger street dedicated for it). Yuri got off the bike as he parked it and looked around. There were some people here and there, but not too many to seem overwhelming.

“So where are you planning on going?” the blond asked as he gave Otabek his helmet back.

“It’s still cold and there’s a café here.” He pointed behind himself with his thumb. “We can get something warm.”

Yuri sure as hell hadn’t expected to be taken to a coffee shop, especially by someone he barely knew, but he figured he’d just let things happen that day. If anyone asked – he blamed the fucking boredom.

The air inside the café smelled sweet and the bell at the door chimed cheerfully. The atmosphere was way too happy here and Yuri just slumped down at one of the tables.

“Do they speak English here?” he asked as he thought about what he’d want to get.

“I can order for you if you want. I’ve travelled enough to at least know the basics,” Otabek answered and Yuri shrugged. At least he wouldn’t need to worry about that. Not that he cared too much either way.

Once they got their drinks and Otabek still sat in silence, only drinking his own, Yuri finally felt his patience reaching its limit.

“Okay, spill it,” he said as he set his cup of mochaccino more forcibly than necessary, a bit of the hot liquid spilling on his fingers. He chose to ignore that. “What’s the reason you brought me here, huh?”

Otabek put his own drink down with both of his hands and looked Yuri straight in the eye. “I thought you were bored. Isn’t this more entertaining than sleeping?”

“Well, yeah, but that can’t be all there is to it.” Yuri waved his right hand a bit. “What do you want? An alliance? A good word from me when they’re discussing something that might have to do with your country? Or do you just want to take me out since I’m alone and ‘vulnerable’?” He narrowed his eyes as he said the last words.

“Not really,” Otabek said before finally taking his gaze away from the other and turning his head to look out of the window that they were sitting near. “Though, I guess you could see this as me being selfish.”

 _Fucking knew it._ Yuri smiled to himself. Of course there was something behind this. No one would willingly go alone with him somewhere except for Mila, who usually dragged him with or without his agreement to anywhere she pleased.

“I wanted to get to know you better,” Otabek said simply, cutting Yuri away from his thoughts.

“Huh?”

“You probably don’t remember,” he continued as he looked back and folded his arms on the table, “but we met around five years ago when I had to accompany my family on a business trip to Russia in order to learn how everything worked. You were training by yourself and I happened to see you. Well, ‘met’ probably isn’t the right word since we didn’t speak or anything, but I thought that you were very captivating. The resilient way you kept going at it without any breaks made me think of a soldier.”

Now Yuri was sure he didn’t know what to say. One thing was that he had apparently met the guy when he was ten, most likely around the time he had moved to live with Yakov, but the other was that he had thought that he was tough? The reason why he had been training alone was because most people there hadn’t believed he could be anything useful to them and was just an unneeded kid. He had wanted to prove all of them wrong.

“Oh…” was all he could say as he lowered his eyes to his drink that was gradually getting colder.

“Even though our countries have close relations and I had travelled to yours on more than one occasion, you were usually somewhere else.”

_Presumably out on the jobs that needed to get rid of someone without making a commotion._

“I hadn’t expected to see you here.” Otabek’s face finally changed from the stoic expression he had had all day. There was a small hint of smile now. “You still have the same look in your eyes.”

“Thanks…” Yuri said as he cupped his hands around his drink before bringing it up and gulping it down in one go. He wiped at his lips with his sleeve and let out some pent up breath he had been holding in. “Alright, I admit – you’re not so bad.” He flashed his teeth in a half smile, half smirk.

“So do you want to be friends or not?” the other asked in a straightforward manner. Guess there was no beating around the bush with this guy.

Yuri liked that.

“Sure, why the hell not?” He extended his hand to shake Otabek’s.

* * *

   


The two of them had spent some more time in the café, mostly talking about what they were doing for their own business. Yuri found out that since Otabek had preferred traveling alone on his bike, no one else from his country had joined him for these negotiations. Yuri thought that it was kinda stupid to go alone like that to a relatively dangerous place, but he commended the other for not pussying out and taking one for his country like a champ. He also commented how it would have been more entertaining to beat JJ’s ass if Otabek had been around last time, but said that they could do that some other time in the future. There was still some score he needed to settle with the jerk-jackass.

After that, they had gone around a few of the stores, mostly just looking around and checking what Chris’ town had to offer. Yuri was afraid that there would be a ton of X-rated shops all around, but to his relief, everything seemed pretty normal. Otabek had decided that he wanted to go to some antique shop where, after a few minutes of looking around, Yuri spotted one of the coolest knives he had ever seen. The thing had a leopard-print hilt and even had a matching case to go with it. The fact that it had a thumb rise and a pretty comfortable quillon made it even that better. He stared at the thing, debating if he should just buy it as a belated birthday present to himself, before he saw it being taken right out of his hands.

Otabek twirled it in his hand and looked back at Yuri. He then wordlessly walked to the counter and before the Russian knew it, they were already walking out from the shop with the knife lying in his cupped palms.

Their outings continued during the whole time Yuri had to spend at the mansion. He noticed that he had even begun paying some attention during the meetings, if only to hear if Otabek had anything important to say. The other usually kept quiet, being the youngest main representative of his country at the age of only seventeen, but Yuri saw that the others didn’t bring that up whenever they discussed something. He had most likely proven himself enough if he was let to do this alone and that young.

To Yuri’s surprise and annoyance, Viktor had actually noticed that he was spending time with another human being that wasn’t from their own group. He teased him about making a friend and then actually patted him on his back like a fucking father or something. Yuri had to hold himself back not to attack his boss, though the urge was really strong this time. Mila had joined them a few times, mainly just to talk about what Yuri did when he was younger in her own version of ‘showing the baby pictures’. She had even tagged along with them to town one day and gushed how nice was the café that they had gone to. Yuri had tried to scream over her, or just growl really loudly, but that didn’t seem to deter the old hag. She just happily chatted on as she held him in a head-lock. Otabek listened politely and responded a few times to her incessant yapping.

The days at Switzerland passed a lot quicker than they had previously and Yuri had even begun anticipating the next meeting they would have. Apparently it was decided that they would have one every month, so when the March negotiations ended, Yuri made Otabek promise to come to the next one and said that he’d be waiting for him in a month. Before their car drove off, while looking through the window, Yuri saw Otabek on his bike. The other noticed that he was being watched and gave Yuri a thumbs up as a confirmation of their agreement. Yuri mimicked the gesture and decided that maybe this whole ordeal didn’t suck as much ass as he had initially thought.

The second spring meeting came and went with everyone from the first meeting showing up once again. To some’s relief and to other’s suspicion, everything went without a hitch. There were a few minor miscommunications here and there, but those got solved quickly and by the end of it no one could really complain. Kenjirou had joined Yuuri after the second time and had decided that he would be a constant during these travels here. Viktor had lessened the number of people that came with him, leaving mainly only a few of his most trusted ones. Yuri didn’t seem as pissed anymore, though he still threw some snide remarks to some, mainly Yuuri.

With the way the second spring meeting had gone, everyone expected things to get finished around summer or so. Sure, it would still take some time for the two countries to build up something between each other that wasn’t just rivalry or outright hate, but the foundation would already be there. The fifth overall gathering took place in the middle of May, when the weather was already getting great. Everyone had shown up once more and the room felt stuffy even with the windows wide open.

Before the meeting began, Yuuri saw Viktor quickly shifting through the papers in his hands with a look of frustration on his face. That was certainly something new. He thought that he might be wrong as there was only a slight crease in the other man’s eyebrows and his lips were pursed tighter than usual, but Yuri wanted to believe that he had spent enough time around him to at least be able to tell some of his emotions apart. He wanted to ask if something was wrong, but Yuuri knew that if he did, that could mess with Viktor’s image and that was certainly not something that he wanted to do in a room full of quite dangerous people that would definitely find a way to use that to their advantage. Instead, he chose to stay silent. Viktor eventually raised his eyes and Yuuri tried to speak with his own, leaning his head to the side to try and convey his concern. The Russian only shook his head and gave Yuuri one of those forced fake smiles.

There was nothing else for Yuuri to do as Christophe began the meeting with a cheerful greeting for everyone, to which Phichit answered enthusiastically. Everything _seemed_ to be going alright as the minutes ticked by and Yuuri had begun thinking that maybe it had only been his imagination like oh so many times before. Of course, he had made a problem where there hadn’t been one, what a surprise.

Those thoughts were cut short when the topic changed to a slightly off-course direction. Viktor had been talking about the possible trade routes they could use and which check-points were neutral enough for both of the parties, when one of the other people in the room interjected.

“Speaking about that, I personally saw to it that the shipment passed our border,” the Kazakhstani representative, Otabek Altin, spoke up as he calmly looked at Viktor. “And yet there has been no confirmation from you that you got it. I probably shouldn’t be the one to say this, but has your attention wandered towards Japan and its representatives so much that you can’t make sure everything goes as planned?”

Yuri’s whistle resounded through the silent room and Yuuri saw Kenjirou visibly tense up beside him as the kid threw him a worried look. Yuuri himself wasn’t feeling too good about this, but he silently assured him that nothing was his fault.

“Since you seem to remember everything so well, perhaps your attention has been swayed by our Russians a bit too much as well? Surely only someone who had been keeping such a keen eye would notice such a small mishap.” Viktor’s smile was wide and cold. “I assure you, I will make sure everything is solved as quickly as possible.”

That seemed to be enough for Otabek as he only nodded and stayed silent for the rest of the meeting.

The next thing followed soon as apparently a few important documents that Viktor had sent Christophe’s way for easier distribution had never reached their intended destination as well. Their host only looked in confusion when Viktor had asked him to give everything out to the people in the room and that proceeded in a few more heated words, though this time from almost every person at the table, with a few of them trying to play peacemakers.

In the meantime, Yuuri quickly scanned through his own papers, but everything appeared to be fine on his end. On the other hand, the other side of the table seemed to be slowly cracking as even Yuri snatched the documents from Viktor’s hands and shifted through them, almost making half of it fall on the ground in the process. Mila caught the ones that slipped and bit her lip as she looked at what she had caught.

It was clear that something wasn’t right.

Yuuri ran a hand through his hair as his foot nervously bounced underneath the table. He decided that everyone needed a breather, himself included. He stood up from his seat, garnering some of the attention from the people who had already begun arguing about unreliable sources and backstabbing ‘allies’.

“Excuse me,” he said and felt even more eyes on him. How he wished he had his sword with him, if only for that feeling of comfort it gave him. Now all he had was the collective glares of the agitated people in the room and the ends of his sleeves to finger with his hands that were getting sweatier by the second, from both the heat and his nerves. “Everything is done on my part, so if you wouldn’t mind, I think we should end this here before anything unwanted can escalate.” He was lying, there was still plenty he had to talk about, but he knew that it wouldn’t go well in the state that everything was now.

“Fine,” Michele clicked his tongue as he also stood up.

“What a waste of time,” Seung-gil added in monotone.

The people slowly dispersed one by one and soon there were only a few left lingering in the room. Otabek made his way towards the Russian group and Yuuri watched him in astonishment as he apologized to Viktor for stepping out of line.

“I should have kept that to private matters,” the young man said to Viktor, who mirrored what Yuuri’s face most likely looked like.

The other then sighed and shook his head. “No, it was my fault too. I was too on edge from everything that was happening on my end. As I said – I’ll make sure everything gets fixed.”

Otabek silently agreed before making his way out of the room, quickly followed in tow by the Russian Yuri. Yuuri quietly told Kenjirou that he was free to go and proceeded to walk closer to where Viktor was still sitting in his seat.

“Tough day?” he asked.

Viktor looked at him and finally gave a genuine smile. “Most likely just some misunderstandings. Nothing to worry about.”

Yuuri shifted his weight from one foot to another before finally deciding to say what he wanted. “If you’d like to, maybe we should go somewhere with Makkachin to clear our heads?” He figured if he got turned down, he could just say that he was acting on behalf of their agreement. As Viktor just kept staring at him, Yuuri felt a thread come undone between his fingers from the force he had been pulling at his sleeve cuffs. “Or not,” he was quick to correct himself. “You should forget I said that, it was a stupid idea. I’ll leave you alone now.”

Yuuri quickly turned around, but before he could start running out of the room he felt another tug at his sleeve that wasn’t his own nervous hands this time. He looked back to see that Viktor had stood up from his seat and was holding onto him.

“No, it wasn’t,” he said as he let go of his suit. “I’d love that. I think we all need some fresh air.”

Yuuri nodded at him as he let his arm fall back at his side. As he watched Viktor instruct one of his people, a rough looking man in his forties, about what to do with the leftover things in the room from their meeting, he brought one of his hands to the other where Viktor had held onto. He ghosted his fingers over the spot and felt his lips curve up at the edges.

* * *

   


They chose to walk to the town, letting Makkachin enjoy the outdoors more. A few of the lackeys insisted on coming along for safety reasons, but Viktor turned them down. He said both Yuuri and him were more than capable of taking care of themselves and if all failed, they had Makkachin with them. That didn’t seem to convince the others, but they couldn’t go against their boss’ instructions.

They had changed to a slightly more casual wear for the trip to the town and as they walked, Yuuri saw Viktor throw some glances his way ever so often. After some time he finally spoke up, “I see you didn’t bring your sword with you this time.”

“How would people look at me if I did?” Yuuri tried to explain. “I mean, to them we’re just a normal pair of people walking a dog. They’d probably call the police on me.”

“Chris would get us out, he knows them well,” Viktor said as he tried to contain his laughter. Yuuri tried not to frown. He was just being sensible.

“Well I still have a tantou for self-protection, but that’s easier to hide than a katana. I’m sure you have something on you as well.”

“Of course, I never go unprepared.” The Russian winked at him.

They kept the small talk as they headed down the winding road. It wasn’t as hot underneath the shade falling from the tall trees. The air smelled of pine and Yuuri decided that the calm atmosphere that lingered here was enough to relax anyone. He wondered what the others that stayed behind were doing and hoped that everyone would just take the day to cool off.

The town had a comfortable feel to it too. It wasn’t big and the people there seemed to be in a close knit community. A few of the kids had come up to them to pet Makkachin and the adults already appeared to know them as a few of those foreigners that came to visit the rich fellow. Yuuri was glad that the people knew English, though Viktor spoke in French at the few shops that they visited.

They stopped at an outside café so that Makkachin wouldn’t wander off somewhere and Viktor ordered them some drinks and sweets, though Yuuri had tried to decline that, saying that he probably shouldn’t since he gained weight quickly. His words didn’t do much as he was still brought some coffee and cake.

Viktor seemed to be getting into a better mood and a few times Yuuri had even forgotten their reason for coming here. As he watched the other man smile and stir his drink while talking about one of the many assassination attempts that were done to him in his younger days, he thought how it was probably a good thing that no one had come with them. He knew that he wouldn’t have been able to explain himself if they were asked what exact purpose their outing served and Yuuri was sure that he was certainly missing some sort of accusation for them acting so unprofessionally.

Maybe he would be blamed for swaying the other’s decisions. He’d definitely be chided by his superiors for letting his personal life mix with his job and there was no doubt that he’d get reprimanded for even trying to get closer to the head of the Russian mafia, but at that moment Yuuri decided that he could just pretend that none of those things mattered. At least here and now. He knew that he’d have to face reality and sooner than he would have liked. He knew that it was just wishful thinking on his part and that never led anywhere good. He would definitely berate himself as soon as he was left alone.

Yuuri sighed and took another sip of his coffee. He wanted to pretend a little longer.

“Are you alright?” The gentle tone in which the words were spoken didn’t match Yuuri’s mood at the moment. He looked up to see Viktor’s worried eyes and tried to force a smile.

“I’ll get over it.” That might have been a lie, but Yuuri didn’t know if he was trying to speak honestly. Viktor didn’t need to know that, though.

A hand rested atop his own and Yuuri couldn’t bring himself to look up, so he chose to just keep his eyes fixed on the fingers that seemed so close to intertwining. Viktor ran his thumb slightly over the side of Yuuri’s hand, but didn’t say anything.

Perhaps that was best for now.

* * *

   


Their small trip was cut short once Yuuri noticed that inside the café, at one of the window tables, sat Sara and Mila. He immediately tried to hide his face and told Viktor that they needed to go. The other seemed confused by the sudden panic, but agreed to leave.

As they paid their bill (Viktor insisted on taking it), a couple of familiar faces passed them and went inside the café as well. It didn’t seem that they had noticed the two at the table and Yuuri figured that it was because the waiter was obstructing the view, but the Japanese man watched in fear as Michele and Emil walked right in front of them, the later whistling some happy tune. He let out a deep breath and felt his foot begin to tap on the pavement beneath it. He really wanted to leave as soon as he could to avoid any of the possible scenarios he had thought about earlier. Viktor seemed happily oblivious to the small panic that Yuuri was having.

From the way the windows were positioned and the way their table was placed, Yuuri saw that the two men appeared to be cautious as well as they took a seat at one of the tables that was a bit further behind the one that Mila and Sara had been sitting at. He really didn’t want to know what was going on with these four and the moment their bill was paid, he sprung up from his seat, startling Makkachin who had been sleeping by his feat underneath the table. He told Viktor that he had remembered some things that he needed to take care of back at the mansion and apologized for cutting their time short. Viktor waved that off and even offered to call for a car, but Yuuri said that he didn’t need to do that and that they could just walk back the same way that they had come.  

On the way back, a motorcycle passed them down the road from Christophe’s house and Yuuri was sure that he had seen a tuff of blond hair on the back seat as the vehicle sped away. He only hoped that they hadn’t recognized Viktor and him, but that didn’t stop him from hiding his face in his hands and letting out a groan.

This was probably just not his day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mickey, it's not nice to stalk your sister while she's having some quality girl time. You should thank Emil for being a good friend and not leaving you alone in this
> 
> I'll try to get the next chapter out quicker as I am now done with most of what I needed to do for uni


	6. Best of both worlds

Once summer began, Viktor decided that it was about time to try something new. He knew that during this time a lot of the regulars at the meetings were usually quite busy with their own problems and even Chris had informed him that he might not be as available as he had been the past few months. All of this could be convenient since, honestly, at this point he only needed one person to be free.

At first, the arrangements for a private meeting in Japan of only the two main parties were a bit difficult to say the least. After all, why did the head of the Russian mafia only insist on conducting it in a small town, which was governed by just one family, instead of taking the opportunity to meet face to face with the people who actually held a lot more power? The only answer that Viktor gave was that he was already acquainted with their chosen representative and felt the need to follow through the whole ordeal from start to finish. This didn’t seem to entirely convince the Yakuza heads, but they eventually relented and agreed to it. The Katsuki family had never given them too many problems and were quite loyal, so this could also be a test for them to see how well they fared in negotiations.

Viktor chose to travel with a small group, since this was supposed to be a small and more intimate meeting, so only a few of his more trusted men accompanied him. Yuri wanted to join as well, but Viktor instructed him to stay behind and ‘watch the perimeters while he was gone’. That didn’t go too well with the teen, but thankfully Mila was there to drag him away and promise Viktor that everything would be in top shape while he was gone.

Hasetsu was a new experience for the Russian, seeing as he had never traveled to Japan before, but the town seemed welcoming, though they didn’t spend a lot of time looking around as their cars headed straight for the Katsuki residence. Yuuri and a few other people greeted them at what seemed to be an inn and Viktor reminded himself at least a few times that for now he needed to present himself as professionally as possible. That wasn’t too hard, per se, he was more than used to it, but seeing Yuuri greet him with a small bow and seemingly a lot more relaxed in a place that was familiar to him didn’t do wonders for that composure.

Viktor soon found out that the Katsuki family ran an inn and hot springs as a cover for their other work. In fact, most of their customers were usually from the same line of work as them, but that didn’t stop ordinary people from appearing there ever so often.

Mr. and Mrs. Katsuki were far from what Viktor had expected to see. If he hadn’t known better, he wouldn’t have guessed that the two basically ran the underground of this town and had been behind more than a few illegal businesses, to put it lightly. The two were bubbly and easygoing as they met the Russian group and showed them to their rooms, speaking how rare it was for them to see these kinds of foreigners and especially such important ones. Yuuri followed silently behind them and only managed to give a grimace once his mother spoke up about how proud she was that her son had gotten such a significant role in what could possibly lead to a truce amongst such strong rivals.

“It’s not like I chose it,” he said as they made their way through a narrow wooden corridor. “You know that the Nishigoris were mainly behind that.”

Viktor perked up his attention at that. He had never really found out how Yuuri got his place as Japan’s representative and it seemed that this conversation might shed some light on that.

“Oh, they just wanted to help.” His mother gave a small wave of her hand. “Such a lovely family.”

Yuuri muttered something under his breath, but didn’t audibly follow up. Viktor felt a tad bit disappointed at that, but he made a mental note that he should ask that whenever he found the chance.

The room that he was given was a lot smaller than the one at Chris’ place, though it was more western in its nature when compared to the others Viktor had seen in the inn. Everyone that had been walking with him up to that point excused themselves, some to go to their own rooms and others to do whatever they needed to. Yuuri was the only one who lingered a bit at the door, shifting lightly from one side to another.

“I hope it’s not too cramped in here for you,” he finally spoke up as Viktor inspected the room.

“I had expected bigger,” the other answered as he took a seat on the bed and put his arms up in a shrug, “but I guess this will still do nicely.”

“Right…” Yuuri’s face did the same crooked smile he had given when his mother had been speaking. “Well, I heard my father mention that he will want to speak to you over dinner, so until then there is some free time. If you don’t have anything planned, you could try the hot springs, but since it’s summer I’m not sure if you’d want that.”

“That sounds wonderful.” Viktor stood up and walked a bit closer to the other. “Will you join me?”

“Uhh.” Yuuri’s eyes darted quickly to look at something else in the room besides the man in front of him. “I can show you where it is, but I don’t think I should-“

“Nonsense,” Viktor cut him off. “You should be a good host and accompany your guest,” he winked at him as he said that. It was obvious that Yuuri needed to relax and Viktor would force him to do that if it needed to be done. He didn’t feel the need to mention that he could also use some time off himself, though. He still hadn’t found out what exactly had happened on their own end during the previous meeting and that, coupled with the pressure that was coming from Yakov and a few others, made him want to escape that stuffy place just that more.

In the end, Yuuri just sighed and agreed to Viktor’s wish. He showed him where the changing rooms and baths were before excusing himself briefly, saying that he needed to speak with someone for a bit. Viktor made him promise to come back once he was done and Yuuri had to assure him at least three times that he wasn’t going to run away and leave him alone.

Since there were no other people at the time, Viktor had the whole place to himself. He wasn’t sure if that was intentional on behalf of the owners or just a coincidence seeing as it was summer, but he didn’t mind. The day was already in its second half and the air wasn’t as hot as it had been a few hours ago, though it was certainly a lot more humid in the area of the open bath. In a way, it felt a bit like going to a sauna, Viktor thought as he made himself comfortable in the warm water, just a lot more wet. He smiled to himself as he put his back against one of the rocks that lined the pool and rested his arms on it, craning his neck to look upwards at the cloudless blue sky. The steam relaxed some of the tension that had been building up in his body and, feeling content, the Russian closed his eyes while listening to the rush of the water coming from the nearby fountain and the sounds of nature that seemed to surround the place.

He opened them once he heard movement coming from the direction of the glass doors that lead outside. Yuuri had finally found the time to join him and was settling into the water as well, though his shoulders were hunched, seemingly to take up as little space as possible, and he was also on the complete opposite side of the pool from Viktor.

The Russian cocked his head to the side and looked at him with amusement. “Don’t you think that’s a bit too far away?”

“I don’t want to inconvenience you,” Yuuri answered as he kept his head lowered.

Viktor breathed out a small laugh before standing up and making his way to the other man. Yuuri looked at him with wide eyes as he sat down right next to him and took the same pose he had had before, one of his arms resting on the rock behind Yuuri’s back.

“Too foggy for glasses?” he asked as it was clear that the other wouldn’t be the one to start up a conversation.

“Yes, it wouldn’t be too convenient to bring them here anyway.”

“That reminds me a bit of that time,” Viktor said as he brought both of his hands to Yuuri’s face and pushed his hair back from his forehead. “Now you look even more like it,” he smiled at the surprised expression that the other was giving him as he lifted his hands from the dark hair, leaving it slightly wet from his own damp fingers.

“Good thing only a few people saw that.” Yuuri slowly ran his right hand through his hair in what appeared to be a subconscious movement.

“Why so? I thought it was quite striking.”

“Because that’s not my role.” Yuuri’s face gained more seriousness as he furrowed his brows and scrunched his nose. His voice sounded a lot more annoyed, though it didn’t seem that it was pointed at Viktor. “I’m not supposed to take the spotlight and I’m not supposed to give others expectations. I’m just here to follow my orders and that’s how I prefer it.” He then turned to the Russian, catching his eyes with a hint of pleading on his own. “So I really hope that you will never tell anyone what really happened. I acted out of line and I still have no clue why my bosses even decided that I was worth enough to take up so much responsibility in taking this position, but if, as you had said, you really want to get to know me for whatever reason, then you should really think of yourself first. If your image gets somehow incriminated because of the time you spend with me, then I won’t forgive myself.”

“I’ll have to take that risk then,” Viktor said lightly, not really seeing why the other was so serious all of a sudden.

“I wasn’t making a joke.” Yuuri’s eyes narrowed and his tone lowered. “I will stay away if that’s what’s needed and you should probably also stop associating with me.”

Viktor blinked at him a few times as he felt the atmosphere between them drop. He wasn’t sure what had gotten into Yuuri, perhaps this was how he had always felt. He turned away from the other’s intense gaze and slumped his back further down the smooth rock. “Ahh, is that so?” His words sounded irked to him. “Then I will have to take full responsibility for whatever others think of my image. It would be a shame if I was somehow viewed as lesser just from keeping good relations with an important figure in the negotiations that I myself proposed.”

“That’s not what I meant-“

“Buuut if you think that someone as competent as you doesn’t deserve any of this, then I will back off.” Viktor lazily turned his head back to look at Yuuri. “ _Do_ you think you don’t deserve this?”

“I only meant your own situation.” Yuuri’s demeanour didn’t seem as hostile anymore. “I don’t want you to face any problems because of me.”

Viktor finally laughed, lightening up the atmosphere and taking Yuuri by surprise. “Trust me, there won’t be any problems for me because of you. Besides, I think I’m entitled to at least spending some of my time the way I want to. Call it what you want, but not a lot of people can actually force me to do what I don’t like and if a few talk about whatever they are dissatisfied with, then they can always say that directly to me.”

“So you don’t care what others will say about your relations to someone who was basically your enemy a year ago?”

“I don’t.” Viktor tried to soften his expression as best he could as he looked at Yuuri. “Besides, right now you’re anything _but_ an enemy to me.”

Beneath the tussled dark hair he saw Yuuri’s ears gain a visibly darker red colour as the other cast his eyes down at the water and moved slightly, turning half of his back to Viktor. “I think so too,” he mumbled.

The Russian barely registered what he had said as the moment that Yuuri had turned, a large tattoo on his back caught Viktor’s attention. He couldn’t see all of it since half of Yuuri’s back was still pressed to the rock, but from what he could make out it looked like snake-like dragon that had its long blue body wrapped around a few tiger lilies.

“Wow,” he breathed out. “Can I touch it?”

Yuuri looked back at him confused before realization kicked in and he immediately pressed all of his back to the pool’s edge and slid down it until only his head was above the warm water. “I had forgotten about that. You don’t usually see a back tattoo yourself.”

“Aww, I wanted to see all of it,” Viktor said, bowing his head a bit to talk to Yuuri better.

“No, it’s nothing.” Yuuri slid down even further until the water almost reached his mouth. “It’s just embarrassing.”

“I thought it looked amazing,” the other tried to encourage him. He really wanted to get a better look of it. “But if you don’t feel comfortable about it, we can talk about mine!” Viktor pointed to one of his shoulders, indicating two dark stars that had a matching set on the other shoulder. “I got these when I took over. There are also a few on the back,” he turned as he said that and showed Yuuri the three smaller stars on each shoulder.

“Yes, I know about that.” Viktor heard the other man answer and turned back to look at him with excitement. “I mean I had seen them before.”

“Really? Had I taken a shirtless public photo?” Viktor genuinely couldn’t remember as he put up his left hand to his chin and closed his eyes to think.

“Ah, no… The time that we played cards together with the others…” Yuuri’s voice sounded unsure as he drew out a few of the words.

“Oh right!” Viktor snapped his fingers. “I had lost quite spectacularly then. I also recall that you didn’t take of your own shirt. Was it perhaps because of your back?”

“Kind of,” Yuuri admitted as he finally rose back from the water with his head hung a bit. “I just don’t like people seeing it too much. That’s why I also have only one. Usually others have a lot more.”

“Like the ones that run all the way down to the sleeves?”

“Right, this one’s easier to hide.” Yuuri brought up his arms and put them around each other looking like he was trying to hug himself.

“Could I still see it?” Viktor tried his luck again, smoothing out his voice more to sound less imposing.

The Japanese man didn’t say anything, but he did turn around exposing all of his bare back. Viktor had been right in assuming that it was a dragon and now just stared at the whole thing covering most of the skin on Yuuri’s back. Taken by an impulse, he reached out his hand and gently pressed his fingertips at one of the lilies near the animal’s head. He felt Yuuri’s muscles tense up and saw his nails dig deeper into his arms, but he didn’t flinch away at the touch.

“It looks very vibrant,” Viktor commented as he ran his fingers along the snaking blue body.

“I had it touched up not too long ago,” Yuuri said. Viktor noticed that his back had begun relaxing a bit, his shoulders losing some of the stiffness. “It needed some work to be done on since I had first gotten it when I was twelve.”

“That’s quite young for a tattoo.” Viktor found it sort of relaxing just following the curving body of the dragon on the other’s smooth skin.

“It’s nothing unusual, just part of the image. It also helps with learning how to deal with a little pain for a longer period of time.”

Viktor hummed in agreement as his fingers finally reached the end of the animal’s tail. He pulled them back before deciding that he was starting to get dizzy from the hot atmosphere of the pool and subsequently draping his arms around Yuuri’s shoulders and placing most of his weight on him, catching the other completely by surprise. 

“Aah, I’m getting tired,” he whined as Yuuri was barely keeping himself together. Viktor then moved his mouth to Yuuri’s ear, saying the words in almost a whisper, “I think it suits you. Hard to find, but stunning once you get to it.”

The other let out a pent up breath and turned his head to the side further away from Viktor, his hair brushing against the Russian’s nose in the process and tickling it. “I think dinner should be ready if you want to get out.”

Viktor smiled as he let go of Yuuri’s shoulders, catching a glimpse of the small curve of the other’s lips that he had been trying to hide.

“Only if you come along.”

* * *

 

As promised, Mr. Toshiya was more than happy to talk business over a table set with hot food, even if the conversation turned in another direction a few times. Viktor praised the cook, who was apparently Mrs. Hiroko, saying how the dishes were ones of the best that he had ever had. Yuuri ate contently not too far away from him, finally taking the chance to just listen and not be the one doing most of the talking.

Viktor found out that the Katsuki family had been in charge of Hasetsu for generations now, but that they never interfered too much with what the other families and clans had been doing, rather choosing to stay out of as many things as they could. It had come to them as a surprise too when they had found out that Yuuri was being assigned such an important role, but they hadn’t been against it, seeing as their family had never shown too much interest in the whole feud with Russia to begin with. Yuuri had always been the one who would travel for one thing or another, so they figured that he had caught the eye of some of the more powerful Yakuzas.

“That, or they just didn’t mind losing someone not so important if things had gone awry,” Yuuri interjected what had become ‘story time’ from his parents.

“There you go again,” his sister, Mari, sighed. “Don’t forget that the Nishigoris also had a say in that.”

“I know that you did too.” Yuuri threw a small glare at her, but Viktor could see that it wasn’t mean spirited.

“Guilty as charged. Minako helped too.” She grinned at him.

“So that means you were recommended, right?” Viktor turned to look at Yuuri with interest.

“He was,” Mari answered for her brother. “We thought that it would be a great opportunity for him and also a chance to meet you.”

“Mari!”

“Me?”

Both Yuuri and Viktor spoke at the same time, eliciting a small giggle from Yuuri’s mother. Yuuri looked embarrassed and distraught as he looked at his sister, while Viktor kept turning his head from one sibling to the other.

“I guess that’s as much as I’m allowed to say,” Mari gave a lazy smile and went back to eating her food.

Viktor shifted his attention to Yuuri, but he didn’t appear as if he was going to say anything else too, so the Russian was left to think over what the two had said by himself. He found that he liked the thought of Yuuri nervously anticipating to meet him for the first time.

Their group spent a few days in Hasetsu, taking some of that time to learn a bit more about the culture of their possible allies. Yuuri showed Viktor around the town, telling him about some of the more famous landmarks and taking pictures whenever the Russian asked him to. A lot of people seemed to know Yuuri, greeting him wherever they went and some even recognized Viktor to his surprise. Of course, his cover was that of a rich oligarch, taking the title from his father, but in a town like Hasetsu, he was left wondering if the seemingly sweet old lady that had just shaken his hand was just keeping up with economic news or was helping with the crime syndicate here. Yuuri found it amusing not telling him the answer.

By the time that they needed to leave, Viktor told the whole Katsuki family that his doors were open for them anytime they wanted. He asked if Mr. Toshiya would relay this information in regards to the negotiations and got an affirmation in return. As he said his goodbyes, he was sure that he would be seeing Yuuri soon.

* * *

 

Not too long after Viktor’s and his group’s first visit to Hasetsu, Yuuri was instructed to follow up on Viktor’s invitation. By this point it was pretty clear that his higher-ups were basically dumping this whole ordeal on his shoulders, but at the same time that gave Yuuri more freedom to act as he saw fit. He still reported everything to his bosses and he still got the needed information for negotiations from them, but he didn’t need to tell them every detail anymore and he even got the privilege to set the dates and times for the meetings himself now, not needing to accommodate to what he was being given.

Yuuri knew that in order for this peace to work out, the two sides should gain basic knowledge of the other’s territory, so, acting on that argument, he decided that it was about time he visited Russia himself. It wasn’t hard to set the time for the visit, though it did feel slightly odd ordering the few people that now apparently worked under him to do that in accordance to his own schedule.

During the flight on the plane, Yuuri kept telling himself that he was just acting in the best interest of his country. It seemed that he had somehow made a good impression on the Russian group, or at least to Viktor, even if he still doubted that statement’s truth.

He and a few others that had accompanied him were greeted at Saint Petersburg’s airport as soon as they landed and were offered rides by a few Russians and Georgi, who adamantly avoided Yuuri’s eyes with his own.

Taking up on the offer, they arrived at the outskirts of the town where the streets seemed to be lined with huge and expensive houses. Yuuri looked in awe as they finally reached their destination – a mansion that was even more extravagant than Christophe’s. He had seen the Nikiforov household before in pictures, but they hadn’t done a favour for the building’s presence. It took a while to even drive up to it from the front gate and the nature that surrounded it looked spectacular in the early summertime. 

The inside of it shone from the light colouring of the walls and the bright sunlight coming in from the numerous windows that lined them. Yuuri could practically hear his own heartbeat in the silent corridors that connected most of the rooms as the only other sound was the clacking of shoes against the marble tiled floors. Some other people passed their group, but all Yuuri gathered from them was a polite form of hostility. There were even a couple of scoffs and a few hushed words that made him feel the need to learn Russian. Yuuri realised that being around Viktor made him forget how he would have normally been treated by these people.

Finally, they entered a room that looked dedicated for reading with rows of bookshelves all around it. Viktor was sitting at one of the armchairs with a book in his hand, though that was soon abandoned as he saw the newcomers. He was like a fresh breath of air as he greeted them politely, but with much more obvious warmth than the others in the house. He offered to take the first day off as he was waiting for a few important people that he had wanted to join in on the meeting to come back in the evening. For the meantime, everyone could enjoy everything in the mansion as if it was theirs and would be shown to their rooms. Georgi had excused himself as soon as Viktor was done with the introductions and Yuuri watched him speed walk out of the room.

“Would you like to join me for a walk?” Viktor asked him as the people began dispersing. “I think Yuri is somewhere outside. He’ll be thrilled to see you, since he couldn’t do that when I went to Japan.”

“Alright,” Yuuri agreed. Even if it had only been a relatively short amount of time since he had last seen Viktor, he found that he had already begun to miss the constant presence of him. That was slightly alarming, but he chose to not think about it at the time.

“He’s been waiting for another person to arrive as well,” the Russian spoke as they made their way through the light corridors that didn’t seem as silent now. “I invited one of his friends to join us, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. It’s nice to hear that he has friends. Always came off as a sort of loner to me,” Yuuri mused out loud. They walked outside through another doorway, coming from the backside of the building. There were lavish gardens on this side that eventually led into a more forested area that lined most of the property.

A rhythmic thumping sound came from somewhere near which was soon followed by some loud cursing and more rhythmic thumps. Yuuri and Viktor exchanged a look before wordlessly agreeing to check the source of the noise.

A bit further down the path and around one of the more protruding parts of the house they found Yuri, who seemed to be in the middle of cutting down a tree and didn’t notice the two in his vigorous attempt in doing it. As Yuuri looked around, he saw that one of the windows that was directly in front of the tree was broken, with the leftover glass shards framing a mosaic mess.

“Oh, gonna have to get that fixed,” Viktor said as he followed Yuuri’s gaze. That seemed to catch Yuri’s attention as he stopped chopping and threw the two a glare.

“Just keep walking,” he ordered and Yuuri had to admit – he looked slightly intimidating with an axe in his hands.

“Don’t you want to say hello to Yuuri?” Viktor kept talking as if this was a completely ordinary sight for him.

“Hello, now go away.”

“Aren’t you going to tell us why there is a broken window and why you are trying to chop down a tree?” Yuuri asked, feeling that Viktor wasn’t even wondering about these questions.

“My cat is stuck up there, Beka is coming soon and I want him to see her. Now will you just fucking leave me alone?” Yuri’s tone grew more frustrated with every word.

“Alright, have fun then.” Viktor smiled brightly as he took hold of Yuuri’s arm and tugged him to continue walking.

Yuuri threw one more exasperated look back at the teen who had returned to his activity, but decided that it was probably for the better to not get too involved and let himself be led away by Viktor. As they walked further away, a distinct crash of a falling tree resounded through the area.

“Is this how he deals with all of his problems?” Yuuri asked.

“Most of them, I’d say.”

* * *

 

Yuuri noticed that when he was around Viktor, a lot of the passive-aggressive gestures thrown around by the other people in the building seemed to subside, but there were still a few he had seen or heard once they had thought that the two were out of earshot. He could only clench his teeth and look away as Viktor continued on animatedly chatting.

Mila came back in the evening with Otabek in tow, complaining how she had to wait in the airport while the guy just came over on his motorbike. Yuri seemed to be in a better mood than he had been earlier that day as he came over to see them with his arms wrapped around a cat. Yuuri thought it looked cute as the kid extended his hands for his friend to try and hold the cat and when the animal was complacent enough to not immediately run away from the stranger.

The meeting was decided to be held the same day, seeing as it was still bright outside and everyone wasn’t too tired after their travels. Yuuri kept looking back and forth from the windows to his watch, trying to figure out if it was broken as it already showed a late hour. A lot of people, whom Yuuri hadn’t seen yet, gathered in the room designated for the meeting. There were some familiar faces here and there, but many of the newcomers didn’t look too pleased in being here.

Yuuri tried to keep his composure as best he could, but somehow this felt a lot more nerve-wracking than any of the meetings back at Christophe’s place. No one interjected whenever Viktor spoke, but as soon as his turn came, numerous questions that sounded more accusatory than anything would rise up from all over the table, swaying him away from his tracks and messing up the scene that Yuuri had rehearsed hundreds of times in his head.

At one point, after a particularly harsh remark from one of the older guests, Yuuri heard a familiar click of the tongue. Yuri hadn’t said anything, like he usually did during these things, but the current look on his face was a lot more irritated than normal. Yuuri had even begun thinking that the teen might say something as well, but in the end he kept quiet.

* * *

 

The next day Yuuri was woken up by a loud bang on his door that was followed by it being flung open and an angry looking Yuri standing at it.

“You. Me. We’re settling things how we should have long ago,” the blond spat. “Find me after you get ready.”

“What’s happening?” Viktor’s head popped up from the doorway as well. “Are you planning something?”

“Show him to the spare room that’s just been done renovating. I’ll be waiting there,” Yuri said as he turned around and walked away, his shoes loudly clacking on the floor.

Yuuri could only try and process what had just happened as he blinked at Viktor, who was still standing in the doorway and cheerily smiling at him.

“Come on, get ready. This sounds exciting.”

Yuuri groaned and fell back on his bed, from which he had been abruptly jolted awake. Russia was out to get him, wasn’t it?

Eventually they made their way to wherever Yuri had instructed to meet him. This time Yuuri chose to carry his sword at the front, feeling the need to calm himself down with the feel of the smooth sheath in his hands. Viktor, on the other hand, had a lively spring to his steps and a hum escaped his lips.

When they entered the room it was completely empty except for Yuri, who stood in the middle of it. The place was spacious and bright from the early sunlight coming in through the wide windows. The kid was tapping one of his feet and rolled his eyes once the other two came in.

“Finally,” he said with an exaggerated draw in the word. “I thought I was going to fall asleep with the way you took your sweet time.”

“So what did you want?” Yuuri asked cautiously.

“We’re going to have a fight to see who’s better.”

“Huh?” Yuuri looked at the teen and then at Viktor, whose eyes were sparkling in the bright room. “I’m not going to fight you.”

“But this is so exciting!” Viktor turned to him. “Two Yuris fighting to see who’s better!”

“What, are you scared?” Yuri teased with a smirk on his face. “Afraid that I’ll beat your ass to a bloody pulp?”

“No, I just don’t see the sense in this,” the Japanese man tried to reason with the two Russians.

“I’m not taking a no for a fucking answer,” the teen now growled through his teeth, getting agitated that the other wasn’t agreeing.

“I think it will be fun.” Viktor put a hand on Yuuri’s back and smiled encouragingly at him. The other man looked at him with a confused look before finally sighing.

“Why am I even doing this?” he asked no one in particular as he took off his suit, leaving only the blue shirt that he had just put on and a dark vest. He rolled up his sleeves and took off his wristwatch, carefully putting it down with his folded suit along one of the empty walls.

As he was putting down his sword, he was stopped by Yuri. “Keep that. We’re using everything we want.”

“But that’s too dangerous.”

“No fucking shit. Now get moving, I don’t have all day.”

Yuuri pressed his lips in a thin line as he gripped the hilt stronger. “This is a bad idea,” he muttered to himself.

By the time he took his place in the middle of the room in front of Yuri, the other was already holding a couple of hunting knives in both of his hands and had taken up a defensive position, his feet firmly planted on the tiled ground beneath him. Viktor signalled the start and the teen dashed forward, giving Yuuri only a second to move out of his way as the place where he had just been standing was slashed through with one of the knives.

He ducked out from another attack and carefully stepped back as the sharp edges came near his face, but all of this only seemed to make Yuri angrier as his movements became quicker and more sporadic. The teen’s face contorted before he suddenly spun around with one of his legs fully outstretched and Yuuri caught a glimpse of something reflecting the sunlight as the other’s foot slashed only millimetres away from his stomach. Yuuri jumped back a moment too late and as he briefly looked down he saw that his west now sported a clean gash through it.

“Get serious.” Yuri looked at him from a bit further away. “I don’t want to win this without you even doing anything.”

Yuuri narrowed his eyes at the teen before immediately lunging forward, drawing out his weapon in a swift motion that he was so used to and aiming directly for his throat. Yuri barely managed to lean backwards, landing on his hands and avoiding the sword which passed near his arched abdomen. The Russian used this movement to put the rest of his weight on his hands as he kicked his legs upwards, the hidden blades at the tips of his shoes made an impact with Yuuri’s glasses, knocking them off his face. Yuri made an arc with his legs as he moved them backwards and landed back on them with a small jump. He had discarded the two knives he had been holding in order to steady himself on his hands, but now he took out a few more from the numerous places that they were strapped along his body and took another dive at the man.

Yuuri only had a moment to decide if he would rather go for his glasses that were lying on the floor in front of him or avoid the sharp edge of the knife that was surely aimed at his vitals. The loud crunch of the glasses beneath Yuri’s feet made Yuuri internally groan as he used one of his shoulders to roll away and quickly stand up on his feet further away from the teen. Now he had to squint in order to see the other better and that was surely a huge disadvantage. Not like it was the first time, though. He could see the other if he got close enough and what he could see currently was sufficient.

Yuuri managed to get a few superficial cuts along Yuri’s arms as they moved back and forth from one another, the teen nimble and flexible enough to avoid any serious damage, but not good enough to come out completely unscathed. Yuuri, on the other hand, had yet to gain any more hits from the other. He figured that Yuri had slightly underestimated him once he had knocked off his glasses, but the kid quickly forgot that as Yuuri had begun backing him into a corner.

To get some distance between them, Yuri took out one of the blades that was near his hip in one fluid motion and threw it at the man. Taken slightly by surprise Yuuri almost didn’t notice the thing coming at him, but managed to step away in the nick of time, the sharp edge cutting slightly into his forearm. This gave enough time for Yuri to use his legs again, the teen closing the gap between them with his outstretched right one. What he hadn’t anticipated was Yuuri being quick enough to aim his own weapon at him, the edge of the katana stopping a centimetre away from his neck as his foot halted at the other’s.

Both of them stood still for a moment before a loud clap shook them out of their concentration. Yuuri lowered his sword by his side as he looked at the source of the sound and Yuri took back his leg, shifting his attention there as well.

Viktor was the one who seemed to had stopped them, a satisfied look on his face as he held his hands slightly raised up in front of himself. Around him stood a few more people who had most likely heard the commotion and came in to see what was happening.

“We can call it a tie,” Viktor said loudly, his voice bouncing off the walls of the spacious room. “Now I think it’s time for breakfast.”

“Try to look more intimidating the next time you’re in the same room as those old fucks,” Yuri said in a low tone as he bent down to pick a few of his weapons that were lying on the floor. “More like you had now.” He then quickly walked away, not waiting for Yuuri’s answer. Otabek had been standing amongst the group of onlookers and he met his friend with a comforting smile. They spoke to each other, but Yuuri didn’t hear their words.

As the other people began walking out, Viktor came closer to him and picked up something from the ground. “I’m sorry about your glasses, though.” He held the broken thing in his hand.

Yuuri sighed and shook his head. “Not the first time that’s happened. I’ll just get new ones.”

“Let me get them, I insist,” Viktor said as he flashed him a smile. “After all, I’m partially responsible for them getting ruined. For the meantime, you can tell your eyesight to our resident doctor. He’ll get you temporary lenses.”

“I don’t really wear contacts,” Yuuri tried to explain.

“Well it’s not going to be comfortable for you while you wait on your glasses to be made. I’ll make sure they’re the best quality, but that might take some time.”

“I don’t need them to be too expensive. They get broken all the time.”

Yuuri’s words seemed to fall to deaf ears as he saw Viktor nod to him before proceeding to take out his phone and call someone, speaking in Russian to the person on the other end. He then paused for a moment and looked back at Yuuri. “So what’s your exact eyesight?”

* * *

 

Eventually Yuuri took up on the offer to get some temporary lenses as he waited for his custom made glasses to arrive. The things stung his eyes and had taken way too long to be put in as he wasn’t used to them, but seeing Viktor so up-beat about the whole situation made it slightly better.

The following meeting was a lot better, in Yuuri’s opinion. Even though he couldn’t make out the faces of the people who had watched him and Yuri fight, he was sure that at least a few of them were the same ones who had sat around the table with him and Viktor. He wasn’t sure if it had been Yuri’s intention, but the fight seemed to quell some of the animosity among the residents of the household. He still wasn’t sure what had gotten into the kid, but at least neither of them had gotten seriously injured. He was confident in his abilities to stop when needed, but accidents tended to happen in these kind of situations.

Viktor had taken to getting him some new clothes along with the glasses, even though Yuuri had tried to convince him otherwise. The other man was happy about basically going around and giving him a makeover, setting him up with the latest Russian summer fashions. After a while Yuuri just gave in, letting himself be taken along with his pace. He decided that the slicked back hair wasn’t too bad in the warm summer air and even though a few of the more see-through linen shirts made him raise an eyebrow, most of the things that Viktor chose for him weren’t too bad and hadn’t been too far away from what he would sometimes wear in his leisurely time.

Nearing the end of the time that Yuuri had planned on staying In Russia, Viktor also took him out to see some of the more noticeable parts of Saint Petersburg just like Yuuri had done to him in Hasetsu. He also explained that Yuuri had come just in time to see the end of the white nights and so the two spent the last day just walking around the town late into the night. A lot of other people were around in the streets, but somehow everything felt a lot calmer. Yuuri didn’t even feel too tired as he listened to Viktor speak about his hometown and watched the dim light play around the sky, never completely going away even when he knew that it was already night. The whole atmosphere made him finally relax after the long time he had spent being high-strung on his trip and Viktor surely helped as he brought him to a more quiet place on an edge of a pier to look over the serene water, which mixed in with the sky in the horizon.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fighting Yurio by moonlight  
> Winning love by daylight
> 
> Yurio saving his cat is a reference to [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP49sgQcdjg&feature=youtu.be)


	7. Heart to heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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> 
>  
> 
>  

 

”So what do you think about them?” Phichit asked as he straightened his back and took a step back from the table to watch the white ball make its way across the felt surface.

“About whom?” Mila followed the ball with her eyes as well as it finally hit a green one with a sharp clicking noise. She was sitting nonchalantly on one of the table’s edges and Phichit might have said something about that messing with the balance, but he wasn’t too much into the game anyway.

“The reason why we’re all here,” he said in a sing-song voice as he handed the cue stick to Seung-gil who immediately began murmuring something to himself about the right positioning and force needed.

“I thought we came here to play?” Emil looked at him quizzically from the other side of the table.

“Sure, that too, but I’m talking about the big picture here.”

“You mean the two lovebirds?” Chris gave a knowing smile, crossing his arms and leaning more comfortably against the wall.

”Oh, you mean Yuuri and Viktor?” Guang Hong joined in, turning his attention away from intensely watching the pool game.

“Bingo,” Phichit winked at them with a wide smile plastered on his face. “Personally, I think it’s pretty clear what’s going on between them.”

“Sure is,” Mila laughed. “You should have seen them during the summer. I wasn’t there all the time – a lady has her own problems to take care of – but it was quite a sight. It was like watching a romantic movie in real life, though I don’t think either of the leads fully realise what they’re doing. Makes you sometimes forget what we do for a living.”

“That just sounds irresponsible,” Seung-gil said in a monotone, still standing at the table with his cue stick aimed and not taking his eyes off the game. During the short amount of time that they had been talking he had already pocketed three balls and didn’t seem like he was about to end that streak.

“I think it’s pretty nice if they can relax around each other. That should make everything easier for the negotiations too if they get along so well,” Leo spoke up, gently smiling to himself as he playfully nudged Guang Hong, making the other almost fall over on the table that he had been leaning on, and receiving an angry pout in return.

“I wonder how much things would change if those two actually became an item. I’m pretty sure Viktor could get away with it, but Yuuri might get some backlash from his superiors,” Phichit mused out loud.

“We could back him up if that happened, right?” Guang Hong looked at Leo, though it was clear that he was addressing the whole room too.

“Of course, and I don’t think his bosses would want to start an argument with several powerful groups just because of that,” Leo assured him, looking over at everyone.

The others gave various agreements, ranging from a confused but good natured one from Emil to an irritated sigh and grumble from Seung-gil, who just wanted to concentrate on the game. That seemed to satisfy Phichit.

“I think even I could manage something if push came to shove. I’m not too important in our own hierarchy, but I’ve got enough contacts to make it work,” he said as he pulled out his phone and tapped it absentmindedly. “Besides, even if Yuuri doesn’t think so himself, he’s too important to his bosses for them to get too upset. I’ve worked with him for several years and all I can say is that he can do his job a bit too well.”

“I guess that timid façade only works when he’s not dealing with actual business,” Chris said. “I have to admit, I didn’t think too much of him when he first came here, but he can really hold himself up under all of that attention during the meetings. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Viktor so agreeable to this many terms and with so little objections from his side.”

“That’s doing wonders for us, isn’t it?” Mila smirked from her seat atop the table edge. “But I don’t really mind. He’s our boss, anyway. Let him do what he wants, he’s smart enough to know where to draw the line. Though if anything happens, we still have Yakov to yell at him.”

“The previous head?” Leo asked.

“Yeah, even though he says he’s not well enough to lead anymore, we all know that he just wanted to see how well Viktor would fare. I’d say he’s been exceeding at least a few of those expectations.”

“Oh Yuuri could tell us all about that,” Phichit said light-heartedly. “He’s been a fan for a while. Don’t tell him, but even I joined in with my recommendation when I heard that the Yakuza were looking for someone to take the role of their representative. I knew he would love to actually meet Viktor in person.”

“Why would they listen to an outsider, especially in something this important?” Seung-gil finally joined into the conversation, handing his cue stick to Guang Hong and stepping away from the table.

“As I said – contacts.” Phichit waved his phone. “Anyway, I’d say it’s only a matter of time before we hear some official news from those two.”

“My money’s on sometime before the end of the year,” Mila said as she watched Guang Hong pocket one of the striped balls.

“Maybe they already are?” Emil crossed his arms and made a thoughtful expression.

“Viktor hasn’t told me anything yet, but I could try to get something out of him,” Chris said.

“Neither has Yuuri, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if he hasn’t realised that himself yet,” Phichit joked as he flopped down on the closest sofa and put his arms behind him on the back of it. “So who wants to join in? I’m saying a week before the new year’s.”

“Maybe in two months?” Guang Hong guessed.

“I don’t know either of them well enough, but I’m saying a month,” Emil joined in.

“Good, good,” Phichit said as he wrote down everything on his phone. “Seung-gil?”

“This is pointless,” the Korean said curtly.

“I’ll mark that down as undecided. You can still put in your guess before it’s time to leave.” Phichit tapped some more on his phone.

“We could ask Sara too. I think she’d want to make a bet.” Mila finally stood up and stretched a little.

“I can do that,” Emil offered. “I’m seeing her after this.”

“Oh, what’s the occasion?” Chris’ voice sounded close to a purr.

“She said she wants to talk about something, could be about Mickey, but I don’t know for sure.” Emil shrugged. “Either way, what are childhood friends for, right?”

“Talking, huh? So that’s what kids call it these days.” Chris made an amused expression.

“I don’t think you need to worry about that. He’s got his eyes on another Crispino.” Mila gently punched Emil on the arm while the other just laughed at that.

After that Phichit took down a few more guesses, even managing to coax Seung-gil into saying a random date. Leo pocketed the last ball, securing a win for his team and finishing the last game of the day. As everyone dispersed, Chris promised to try and talk to Viktor about any possible affairs while Phichit carefully counted the money he had collected.

* * *

 

Yuuri wasn’t exactly sure what time it was, but he guessed that it was at least after midnight. After laying in his bed and staring at the ceiling for at least half an hour he decided that he was most likely not going to get a lot of sleep that night. He felt sort of numb after the long day, having forgotten how stressful it could be with so many different people speaking over you during the meetings. He had definitely underestimated summer and the relatively calm rendezvous that had taken place during it. There hadn’t been too many of them, but each time he saw Viktor coming through his house’s front entrance he felt an unfamiliar sense of comfort that was hard for him to pinpoint. It was so normal seeing him talk with his parents and catching glimpses of that ever-present smile whenever the Russian caught Yuuri looking his way.

Russia didn’t feel as hostile after the first travel there too. Sure, most of the people there still came off as cold, but it was more of the polite kind, or at least Yuuri hoped so. He could never be too sure seeing as he didn’t know the language too well, though Viktor had begun teaching him a few words here and there in exchange for Yuuri doing the same with Japanese. He found the scattered lessons entertaining, watching the other try and pronounce something that seemed so simple to him and then being placed in the same situation as he tried to roll his tongue, feeling as if it would break with some of the words that Viktor was teaching him. 

Even Yuri appeared to mellow down, at least somewhat. The teen had taken the time one day to teach him a few of the fighting movements that he liked, saying something about Yuuri needing to be more versatile. Yuuri found that he liked spending time with him, especially when the kid was concentrating on something that he seemed to enjoy. He had even offhandedly apologised for breaking Yuuri’s glasses.

The Japanese man slowly turned his head to look at the new ones that now sat on the bedside table. After a few days of wearing lenses he was more than happy to finally put them on once they arrived. Viktor had apparently ordered glasses that looked quite similar to his previous ones, though it was clear that they were at least a few times more expensive. Yuuri was afraid to ask the price as he held them in his hands, feeling the smooth surface of the blue rims and the sturdier joints with his fingers. He could only hope that these wouldn’t break as fast. Knowing Viktor, the glass was probably some special kind that could withstand a lot more pressure. Yuuri felt guilty for even accepting them.

Viktor was still somewhat of an oddity to him. He had never expected the person, whom he had only known through other people and news networks as someone who was at the top of their game, managed to keep a coolheaded and charming appearance, and kept hundreds of smaller factions under his feet, was actually quite friendly and open. Yuuri felt at a loss of how to exactly act around the man as his teachings and social status told him that he needed to be polite and respectful, but Viktor’s own actions made him feel as if they might be equals. The affectionate nature that he was also presented with didn’t do wonders for Yuuri’s confusion.

He was sure that they were spending a lot more time than what should have been professionally acceptable and even if so, then the way they spent it was questionable to say the least. Viktor’s weird preposition of getting to know him still sometimes wandered into Yuuri’s thoughts and he hadn’t yet figured out what had spurred the Russian to say that. All he knew at the moment, though, was the fact that the time that they did spend together was more than enjoyable. Sometimes he even found himself losing track of his worries during their private outings and the more he thought about it, the more he realised that he liked relaxing once in a while like that.  

Yuuri knew that he shouldn’t get his hopes up too high. After all, once everything between their countries was settled, there was a very high possibility that he and Viktor would probably never see each other again. Viktor had his own concerns, this being merely one of them, and there would be no reason for him to see Yuuri after this problem got sorted out. Yuuri knew he would get other orders after he was done with his current job and, considering that he didn’t have a high rank, he wouldn’t be able to have a say in that.

_Maybe I should just enjoy the time that I have. There’s not much of it left._

It was already a lot better than what he had expected. He should be grateful for that. And yet the nagging feeling of being selfish came crawling back to him.

Yuuri sighed as he rolled over on his side to face the window. All of these thoughts were definitely _not_ helping him fall asleep. He couldn’t complain about the luxurious bed and its comfort, but sometimes he caught himself thinking that it was way too big for one person. Who even needed this much space when sleeping alone? It felt odd, considering that he was used to a more compact size, and sometimes he wondered if this was one of the reasons why he couldn’t fall asleep on some nights in this house.

He heard a distant noise coming from somewhere in the hallway. It sounded like a few people laughing and it was getting louder. So he wasn’t the only one who was still awake. Before he knew it, his door was suddenly flung open and the lights in his room switched on. Yuuri squinted at the brightness, fumbling for his glasses and simultaneously trying to flip over to see who had barged into his room.

“Yuuri!” a familiar voice cheerfully greeted him.

Yuuri only eloquently stared in response. Standing at his door were Viktor and Christophe, both with a lot less clothing than was appropriate and both clearly not sober. Viktor had one of his arms slung over Christophe’s shoulder and was slightly leaning on him with a wide grin plastered on his face that made the skin at his eyes crinkle. The Swiss man winked at Yuuri.

“I hope you don’t mind,” he said as he closed the door behind him and Viktor. “I mentioned to him that you had the most comfortable bed in the whole house and he wanted to try it out. I think he’s about to crash anyway.” Christophe looked and sounded less intoxicated, but Yuuri could still see the slight sway of his body as he stepped closer with Viktor hanging off him.

“My room’s too far away,” Viktor slurred as his friend put him down on the bed with Yuuri still watching both of them wide eyed.

“But it’s just across from mine,” he said in disbelief. The other either didn’t catch that or didn’t care as he just snuggled one of the pillows and happily exhaled with his eyes closed.

“Smells like Yuuri,” the Russian cooed and Yuuri felt the heat coming to his face.

“Does it now?” Christophe took a seat on the bed as well and rested his back against the headboard, looking at Yuuri with a lopsided smirk. “It’s only been a couple of days.”

“Are you going to stay here?” Yuuri changed the conversation, not really wanting to go wherever their host was intending to. He looked at both of the men in disbelief and then at his phone to check the time. He groaned as his door opened once more.

“What’s happening here?” came Phichit’s voice and Yuuri knew that he had already lost whatever fight this had been.

“We’re going to check if I had been right about this room having the most comfortable bed,” Christophe answered nonchalantly.

“It’s way better than mine, I can say that much.” Phichit closed the door and plopped down next to Yuuri on the other side of the bed from Christophe. That made Yuuri move more to the middle and closer to Viktor who had already been quite silent for a while.

“Is no one listening to me?” he asked in a tired voice and got a bit of laughter in response.

“You weren’t sleeping anyway, we can keep you company for the rest of the night,” Christophe said as Phichit readily agreed.

“Thanks…” Yuuri slumped down on the bed and glanced over at Viktor. He had already fallen asleep and Yuuri knew that there was already no way that he could get the others out. He wondered if his sleepless thoughts had been somehow broadcasted through the halls for everyone else who was still awake to hear. He faintly smiled to himself as he looked at Viktor. Maybe it wasn’t that bad if it had made him come here.

“So, Yuuri,” Christophe’s words brought him back from his thoughts, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while now, but it’s pretty hard to find you alone.”

“Yeah, you’re usually around Viktor most of the time now,” Phichit joined in as he shuffled even further onto the bed, nudging Yuuri to move more to the side.

“Or the other way around,” Christophe said.

“Technically he’s not alone now either.” Phichit craned his neck to look at Viktor, who was definitely asleep by now. “But maybe this doesn’t count?”

“You should have informed me if you wanted to talk about something in private,” Yuuri said, immediately thinking if he could have worded that better.

“Oh, it’s fine,” the Swiss man waved his hand. “This could even be better. I’ve already been uhh,” he glanced at the passed out man next to him, “talking to Viktor, but I want to hear it from you too.”

“No cheating,” Phichit said in a warning tone, making Yuuri turn to him with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t worry, I’m just making sure everything’s going smoothly,” Christophe assured him.

“What are you talking about?” Yuuri turned from one to another. He felt slightly cornered with the way they were all situated on the bed.

“We just want to know if everything’s going fine with you and Viktor,” the host said nonchalantly.

“Yes..?” Yuuri felt that he might know where the conversation was heading to, but he didn’t know if he really wanted to talk about it. “As you can see the negotiations are working out, even if there are some occasional holdbacks, and there haven’t been any major disagreements between us. With the way everything is going I think we’ll be able to finish everything up in a month or two.”

“And how do you feel about it ending?” Christophe’s voice sounded more subdued as he said that.

“I…” _I don’t know_. “I’m happy that the most likely outcome is a positive one and that I’m able to play a part in making that come true. It’ll be an honour to help my country like this.” His polite tone sounded off to him at the moment.

“Is that all?” Phichit put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly.

Yuuri lowered his eyes, focusing on his hands that were clutching at each other. “I liked spending time here. I think I’ll miss that.”

“Well, you’re welcome to come anytime you want, just don’t take too long in doing that.” Christophe gave him a smile that Yuuri could only weakly laugh at.

“What about Viktor?” Phichit asked.

“I liked spending time with him too.” As Yuuri looked at the sleeping Russian, his face pressed into one of the pillows and his hair falling messily all over it, he felt the want to run his fingers through it. He wondered if that would wake him up.

“He did too. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him this excited about something before as he’s been with you.”

Yuuri found that hard to believe - there were surely other things that Viktor was interested in more – but he chose not to say anything. He wasn’t sure how Phichit would react if he did.

“I’m sure we’ll meet each other again even after all of this is over,” Christophe said. “Besides, you and Viktor seem to always find a way to do that. He’ll probably fly to Japan by himself if he finds out that he can’t see you anymore.”

“I’d do the same.” Phichit shrugged.

“Isn’t that concerning?” Yuuri asked as he looked down at Viktor again. “He should be focusing on his duties and what’s actually important.”

“He is focusing on that.” Christophe slid his back down the headboard and stretched out more comfortably on the bed. He then looked at the light switch and groaned a little.

“I’ll get that,” Phichit offered as he got up to turn off the lights. As soon as he did,the room was drenched in darkness again and Yuuri only faintly saw the figure of his friend as he easily made his way back to his place on the bed.

“It’s getting late. I think we should follow Viktor’s example,” Yuuri heard Christophe say from his left.

“Get almost naked and go to sleep?” Phichit laughed as he made himself more comfortable beside Yuuri who was still in a sitting position.

“That’s one way to say it.”

Yuuri sighed as the other two threw back and forth a few more jokes, and tugged a bit on the covers to at least bring a part of them over Viktor, who would surely get cold during the night. He gave Phichit his glasses so that the other could put them back on the bedside table and tried to settle as comfortably as he could. He had wondered before if the bed wasn’t too big for just one person, but now that there were four of them he didn’t know if this had been exactly what he had had in mind.

Yuuri stayed silent as Phichit and Christophe talked over him for a bit more, feeling giddy that he was going to sleep (if that even came to him) so close to Viktor, but also glad that the Russian had taken a liking to one of his pillows and had been clutching it at his face as he slept, making a slight barrier between the two of them. Yuuri was sure he wouldn’t have gotten a wink of sleep if that hadn’t been the case.

As luck would have it, he did eventually manage to slip into sleep as the conversation in the room died out and silence soon took over, leaving only the soft breathing sounds of the few people there and the occasional gentle shift of the covers as someone moved to make themselves more comfortable. The still lingering heat from the summer and the combined warmth of several people made it so that they weren’t completely necessary, but Yuuri still burrowed himself underneath them and tried to stop his thoughts running through his mind. The odd thing was that knowing that Viktor was so close actually helped him with that. Maybe he had just finally tired himself out, but thinking that wasn’t too bad.

* * *

 

The morning came with a warmth that wasn’t as suffocating as the night before. Yuuri heard some shuffling in the room, but even in his groggy state of mind he knew that it was only the other people that had come into his room previously. He still felt tired, opting to keep his eyes closed and try to get some more sleep. Whoever had woken up didn’t make too much sound and after a few moments he heard his doors opening and closing. He shifted a bit, feeling that he had stretched out one of his hands in his sleep and was holding onto something, but that was quickly forgotten as he fell back asleep.

The second time Yuuri woke up he felt a lot more warmth than before. As he opened his eyes he saw the reason behind that was that he was now face to face with a still sleeping Viktor. The pillow that the other had used had migrated somewhere else and all that was left between them was a bit of empty space. Yuuri’s left hand was in front of his face and only centimetres away from Viktor’s, but that wasn’t what caught his attention. Instead, Yuuri saw that Viktor’s own hand was in his and it dawned on him that it was probably what he had felt he had been holding onto before. With sluggish awe he blinked a few times and exhaled slowly.

Well that was surely something.

Yuuri stared at the sleeping face of Viktor for a few more minutes, thinking if he should try to move and get up, most likely waking the other in the process, or if he should just wait for him to do it on his own. He realised that he wasn’t quite ready for what the second option suggested and after a while he finally let go of Viktor’s hand and gently drew back. The movement did indeed stir the other man and as Yuuri sat up in his spot, he watched Viktor open his eyes and look at him with an unfocused gaze.

“Morning,” Yuuri said.

Viktor looked at him for a few more seconds before his face relaxed into a smile. “Morning,” he mimicked in a slow slur.

“Seems that the other two left already.” Yuuri looked around the room as he put on his glasses.

“Other two?” Viktor asked, still not moving from his spot as he looked at Yuuri.

“Phichit and Christophe.” Yuuri turned back to Viktor. “They decided to keep me company last night after you passed out in the middle of my bed.”

“Oh,” the other said as he finally tore his eyes away from Yuuri and looked around the room and then at himself. “Ooh.” He rubbed away at his eyes to get rid of the lingering sleepiness and also sat up. “I didn’t realise.”

“You were drunk, so it’s no big deal.” Yuuri shook his head as he stood up from the bed and began walking towards the window to pull back the curtains. The sun was already bright outside, illuminating the already browning leaves on the trees in front of his balcony.

“Right…” he heard Viktor say silently. “Say, Yuuri. Would you like to join me and Makkachin for a morning walk?”

The Japanese man turned to look at him. Viktor had an unreadable expression on his face, but it quickly shifted into one of his relaxed smiles.

“Okay,” he answered. Maybe some fresh air wouldn’t be too bad.

Viktor wasn’t in the room anymore once Yuuri got out of the bathroom, but he did greet him outside in the corridor, this time fully dressed and with a restless Makkachin by his feet. He cooed to the dog about making him worry for leaving him alone the previous night and Yuuri bent down to scratch him behind the ears as an added apology. That seemed to do the trick as the dog happily barked back at him.

The air outside was nice, perfect for a calm walk amongst the trees that had begun turning into the colours of autumn. As Makkachin ran through the fallen leaves that covered the ground, Viktor and Yuuri walked beside each other in comfortable silence. Yuuri found it slightly unusual that he had felt so laid-back when he had woken up, but as his arm brushed lightly against Viktor’s from time to time, he realised that he wouldn’t mind if all of his mornings were like that.

At one point Viktor moved away to go and play with Makkachin as the dog began digging through one sizeable pile of leaves. Yuuri watched the two as Viktor gathered a heap of them in his arms and let them fall all over his pet, laughing cheerfully at the matter.

This felt so normal.

Yuuri felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips as he watched Viktor hold up something in his hand above his head, making Makkachin jump around him trying to get it.

It would be amazing if he could spend the rest of his time like this.

Yuuri didn’t think too much as he let his legs carry him towards the two, the sounds of laughter, barking and the occasional song of a bird surrounding him the same way the tall trees around the mansion did.

Maybe he could let himself try just this once?

He stopped close to Viktor, the memories of all of their time spent together running through his mind. It had already been nine months, huh? It felt longer and shorter at the same time.

“Viktor?” he asked, catching the attention of the other man as he turned to look at Yuuri with warm eyes. “Could I-” the thought stopped in its tracks as his breath hitched on his words. What was he going to say?

“Yes?” Viktor looked at him in expectancy as Yuuri quickly let his eyes down and began fidgeting with his hands. Why did he always need to croak whenever something involved his emotions? He was perfectly fine tuning them out when he was in danger, but now…

“If it’s not too out of line… It probably is.” His hands moved closer to his face in an attempt to cover it, but he managed to stop them before they could go too far, his fingers only reaching his lips as he rested them there. Viktor looked at him patiently, a bit of confusion colouring his features, but he stayed silent nonetheless.

Yuuri slowly removed his fingers from his mouth and followed them with his eyes as his right hand moved seemingly on its own, taking only a second before it reached Viktor’s face and Yuuri’s fingertips gently pressed on his lips.

Viktor blinked a few times, his own eyes now looking down at Yuuri’s fingers. He raised his hand and before Yuuri could move away he took them in and pressed a chaste kiss to them. With that Yuuri took a step closer, closing the gap between them and cupping Viktor’s face as he brought it down with his eyes closed.

Viktor’s lips were slightly chapped, maybe from the chillier wind that had begun appearing in the mountains. Yuuri thought that maybe his were too, but that didn’t really matter as he felt the other mouth curve into a smile. One of Viktor’s hands had moved to Yuuri’s head, the fingers interlacing with his dark hair and pressing Yuuri even closer to him. His other hand rested on Yuuri’s shoulder, close to the nape of his neck.

As Viktor’s fingers pressed onto his skin, Yuuri felt bolder in what he was doing. He moved to deepen the kiss and the other gladly obliged as he parted his mouth. They weren’t too fervent in their movements, but Yuuri still felt like he was getting lightheaded. He moved his hands from Viktor’s face towards his temples and ran his fingers through his hair with more force than he had planned, letting his nails dig along the skin. Viktor let out a lower sound at that and Yuuri took that as an invitation to do it several more times, finally getting the full feeling of the silky hair underneath his hands. He also moved his mouth slightly downwards, taking Viktor’s lower lip between his teeth and gently biting into it as he put more pressure into his fingers as well. A small gasp escaped the other’s mouth as Yuuri finally parted them, but didn’t move further away, instead choosing to look at the slightly flushed face of the man in front of him.

For a few moments the only sound the two made were laboured breaths. Viktor moved his hands to rest on Yuuri’s back and lowered his head onto his right shoulder, hiding his face in the crook of Yuuri’s neck, hunching his back in the process.

“Can we stay like this for a while?” his voice was slightly muffled and the movement of his lips tickled Yuuri’s skin.

“I’d love that,” Yuuri breathed out as he looked upwards at the thick foliage that let through a couple of sunbeams through it.

At least he wasn’t the only one who wanted more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mafia what? Yakuza who? It's time for some good ol' fashioned relationship time. The other plotline will have to move over for a bit. Maybe one more chapter.
> 
> I wonder how many times Viktor had dreamt of waking up next to Yuuri before it actually happened and he managed to mistake that for just another dream ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ


	8. Let's end this with a bang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The days in Switzerland went by in a blur and before Yuuri knew it, it was time to leave once again. He had asked Viktor to keep everything hushed, at least until he felt confident in what was happening and the other agreed. He didn’t push Yuuri when he had said this and all they did as they said their goodbyes was politely shake hands, mentioning that they were looking forward to the possibly last meeting the following month.

Once he had gotten back to Japan, Yuuri found himself piled with additional work, leaving him no time to mull over the things that he had wanted. Word had gotten out that the negotiations with the Russians were coming to an end and so a few displeased groups that had kept relatively quiet during the whole ordeal had become more vocal with their disapproval. Yuuri got assigned to check out three of them, all of which were small in their size, but could bring unwanted trouble if left unattended. A few others joined him in this, forming a group that would help him if things went south.

The first one had been showing their distaste ever since the beginning of the year, but most of that had just been passive aggressive. Now, though, it was becoming clear that they wouldn’t stay that way for much longer and so the orders that Yuuri had gotten were to just take them out without too many questions asked. He was used to these kinds of jobs, so it wasn’t too difficult to kill the people at their base during the night, especially with the assistance of his temporary subordinates.

The second group had apparently heard what had happened to the first one, so while traveling to a small town in the Fukui prefecture Yuuri got the call for a change of plans. They had conveyed their apologies for speaking out of turn and not taking in the account of all of the country, so all that was left for Yuuri and his group was to only check in on them and see in person if their remorse had been genuine. They were cordially greeted in the remote mountain town and a simple talk with the head was all Yuuri needed to decide that they could be left to their own accords, at least for the time being. They were still informed that they would be kept under a magnifying glass until they were deemed clear.

The third and final group that Yuuri had gotten orders about had expressed similar sentiments to the second one, though he was still told to check on them. He was told to approach them in a civil manner, as they hadn’t shown any outright violent animosity, but to still be on high alert as they had inevitably expressed their discontent vocally and hadn’t yet fully taken back their position.

Their group arrived late in the evening to a relatively small building at the outskirts of a town. The wooden inn looked old, but well-kept as it stood out amongst the greenery, illuminated by a few garden lanterns. It seemed that the people there had already gotten wind of their coming and so Yuuri and the ones accompanying him were greeted at the entrance in a polite manner and told that they were expected in one of the rooms. The affable act was obviously forced, it was clear on the people’s faces as they gave cold smiles accompanied with eyes that told that they weren’t welcome here. Yuuri decided to take part in the pretence, giving an emotionless smile of his own and a curt bow. He had opted for a more safe appearance this time, choosing to come only with a gun in a holster on his back. Might as well pretend that this was only an ordinary check-up to see how things were going.

The wooden floors creaked as they made their way through the dimly lit hallways, a faint smell of fir lingering in the place. There were muffled sounds of other people walking or going around their business and a distant source of moving water was audible from somewhere outside. The atmosphere here was quite relaxing and Yuuri wondered if he would have enjoyed it if the circumstances had been different. It had reminded him of his own home in a way.

_It’s really a shame._

They were led to a moderately sized room that seemed to go along with the general décor as it was also lit by a few lanterns that cast the room in warm colours. A few people stood along the walls, but the most important one sat in the middle of the room at a low table. The boss greeted them with the same act as everyone else had and Yuuri took a seat in front of him at the other end of the table, folding his legs and keeping his back straight, letting his suit fall loosely. The others that had accompanied him also sat down, though they made plenty of space between themselves and Yuuri.

“Seeing how we were welcomed is it safe to assume that you were expecting us?” Yuuri began with a polite tone as if he was making small talk.

“We might have heard something like that,” the man before him laughed with no mirth in his voice. “Figured we should get ready just in case.”

“So you do know the reason for our visit?”

“There’s no use in avoiding that – yes.” The man’s eyes grew colder, the reflection of the lanterns in them doing nothing to ameliorate that.

“Then you heard how things were dealt with the other two groups that had become…” Yuuri stopped for a moment, deliberately making it look like he was searching for a word, “ _uncooperative_ with the intentions of our higher ups, right? There are already two great examples how things might go.”

“For saying that they don’t interfere too much with what we do, they sure do like to give out orders left and right and expect everyone to just blindly follow them.” Yuuri could see the man’s knuckles slightly pop out as he clenched his fists stronger on his thighs. He lazily brought his eyes back to look directly at him, still keeping a completely blank expression on his face.

“I’m not here to argue, but you do know that they barely interpose with anything that the families do. They have enough problems of their own to bother with every single one of the thousands all over Japan.”

“And yet here we are, about to make friends with one of our oldest adversaries and everyone’s supposed to go along with that as if it was nothing. Call us uncooperative if you wish, but you do see the problems we might be having here, right?”

“That is understandable,” Yuuri wondered if he should pretend that he was feeling empathetic, “but I can assure you that this is a step forward, not back. The animosity between our countries has brought many negative things for both sides and if everything works out during the negotiations, then we will gain a strong ally. The times have changed and so have the people. You should take that into consideration.”

The man’s face shifted into a smirk. “You mean the new head over there? Seems a bit stupid to let someone so young govern over so much, but a game of truce doesn’t sound too farfetched for someone like that.”

Yuuri could feel his jaw tighten as he tried to look impassive. “We agreed to that _truce_ as well.”

“No, _we_ didn’t,” the yakuza shot back. “A few people with a superiority complex that just so happen to sit at the top of our messed up hierarchy did. There was no agreement from everyone else. I’m sure that there are plenty of others that do not agree to all of this too, but everyone’s too afraid to speak up.”

“That’s why we didn’t decide on everything immediately. We’re taking time to go through everything slowly and whenever something doesn’t sound right or doesn’t correlate to what we think is best for our people, we take all possible measures to fix that.” Yuuri was starting to get tired of this. His polite façade was slipping by the second and he honestly didn’t care.

“That still doesn’t negate the fact that we’re cooperating with our enemies, especially with someone that is so inexperienced and only got the role because of his bloodline,” the man spat, obviously losing his composure as well.

“What makes you so different?” Yuuri looked him dead in the eye.

“I _earned_ my position. It took me years to prove that I was good enough and what did it take him? A couple of dead parents by the age of five and an old grandfather who couldn’t be bothered with the job anymore.” The man stared back at him. “And frankly, if you want to hear what I think, getting yourself killed in a mere car ‘accident’ doesn’t sound like someone who could do this kind of job well.” The tone of his voice was sardonic at least, but Yuuri knew that what was being aimed at him was condescension.

“If I had wanted to hear an opinion, I would have given you one.” He barely recognized his own voice as the words left him. The act was long forgotten.

The man’s eyes narrowed as he sneered at him. “What did you say?”

“I believe I was clear enough, or are you having even more difficulties with what is being told to you? Perhaps that’s the core problem to all of this.”

Yuuri saw from the corner of his eye movement to his right, but what was the better indicator was the light creak of the old floorboards. It didn’t take long to feel a gun pointed at his temple, but it took him even less time to draw his own weapon out and effortlessly aim it at the person planning to attack him without turning his head to look at them. The motion of removing the safety and pressing the trigger wasn’t as familiar as the smooth glide of the sword, but it did the job nonetheless.

The shot resounded through the room followed by the thud of the limp body and for a moment everything seemed to stop in complete silence. Yuuri had yet to break eye contact with the man in front of him and in those fractions of a second he saw his eyes widen with an underlined fear. There was no time to waste, Yuuri thought as he took the initial shock of the room to put the hand with the gun on the table while he placed the other on the floor and moved the legs underneath him. His right one swung out as he put the rest of his bodyweight on his hands and the left leg. The contact he made with the man’s side was pleasing to say the least.

As he kicked the man and jumped over the table to tackle him, Yuuri heard the sounds of more gunshots behind him. Trusting the others to do their jobs properly, he didn’t turn his attention from the boss, who he now had pinned to the floor on his stomach, his knee digging into the man’s back and holding both of his arms twisted behind him. Yuuri pointed the gun at the back of the man’s head and put more of his bodyweight on him as he leaned closer to his ear.

“Is this how you wanted things to go?” he asked, sure that the other heard him even with the sounds of commotion filling the rest of the room.

The man didn’t say anything, just groaned as he tried to struggle out of Yuuri’s grip.

“What did you plan to accomplish even if you had managed to kill us?” Yuuri continued as he drew back and looked down at him. “If you had already been under the radar, then this would have only made things a lot worse for you. Your group is small, it wouldn’t take a lot of people to get rid of you.”

“So is this the way you deal with all of your problems?” the man finally spoke up as he tried to twist his head to look at Yuuri. “You just silence us and continue with what you were doing?”

“We could have come to a compromise, you know. There was no reason for things to escalate the way they did.” Yuuri wanted to laugh at his own words. He was lying and both of them knew it.

“There’s no way I would have agreed to leave behind the years of bloodshed those scum brought to us,” the yakuza spat the words as if they disgusted him.

Yuuri narrowed his eyes as he shoved the muzzle harsher at the man’s head. “I guess you could just call it bad luck on your end then.” He watched the other’s face shift into slight confusion. “Out of all the people who could have come to check on you, you got the one in charge of the negotiations with the ones you hate so much.”

The face before him changed back into anger once more. “So you’re the traitor that’s been sucking up to those trash?!”

“I am,” Yuuri said coldly. “And the only piece of advice I could have given you was to choose your words better.”

“How about these words then?” The man smiled with half of his face still pressed roughly to the ground. “Fuck you and your precious Russians. Nothing good will come out of this.”

Yuuri didn’t say anything. He looked back at the room to see that his people had taken care of everything just as he had expected – a few scattered bodies lying around on the wooden floor marred with dark splotches of blood in the dim lighting of the lanterns. They looked back at him, waiting for further instructions.

Yuuri only sighed as he turned back to look at the struggling man beneath him. The last gunshot broke the room’s silence and he stood up, regarding the others.

“You know what to do next,” he said as everyone else nodded and began walking out of the room, their weapons ready at their sides. Yuuri slowly followed them at the back, taking the time to remember how this place looked.

_It really is a shame._

* * *

 

Autumn had taken its full course on the nature that surrounded Christophe’s town and mansion. Even though Yuuri had been feeling quite exhausted for a while now from all the traveling he had been doing back in Japan and now to here, an underlining excitement followed him as he watched the familiar sights pass from inside of the car.

He could finally see Viktor again.

Despite the fact that he had been kept busy, he had realized some time ago that with every break he had to take from the other, he felt worse and worse from the separation. In a way he was sort of glad that he hadn’t been left to his own accord during the month it had taken between the previous meeting and this one. He had been feeling even more detached in executing his orders, but now that he knew that the person he had so desperately wanted to see again was so close, he felt all of that repressed emotions boil up inside him.

He knew that things would go differently this time. One of the reasons for that was the fact that he wasn’t in charge of the whole ordeal. A couple of his higher-ups had decided to make their appearances to the last meeting and he would only take the back seat to them. Kenjirou kept him company as they travelled here and finally Yuuri could interact with the kid in a more casual manner, seeing as he wasn’t technically his superior during all of this. Kenjirou gushed about how excited he was to get to learn how to be a proper bodyguard from Yuuri while the other just awkwardly laughed and felt some of his nerves come back up from being taken so seriously.

The second reason was the uncertainty of how Viktor would act. After all, the last time could have only been a spur of the moment thing for him and everything would just go back to how it used to be with no indication that something had ever changed.

_Had something changed?_

Yuuri wasn’t sure if he could properly answer that.

It felt slightly odd to stand back with the others as his superiors took the lead in introducing themselves to all of the other guests and began speaking as if they had done so for the last ten months or so. There were a lot more people this time, seemingly everyone from all of the last assemblies as well as their accompanying subordinates. Yuuri’s eyes had wandered around the room, seeing how many people he recognized, until he finally stopped at the Russian group. There were a couple of new faces there as well, notably one of Yakov Feltsman, the former head of the Russian mafia and Viktor’s grandfather from his mother’s side. Even though it had been rumoured that he had resigned from his position due to poor health, the man looked anything but imposing as he stood next to Viktor.

Yuuri wondered if his breath had noticeably hitched as he made eye contact with the man he had expected the most to see. It was only for a fleeting moment before his view was obscured by his higher-ups stepping in and beginning to talk with the Russian group, but he was sure he had seen Viktor’s lips turn upwards into a smile, washing away some of the fear that had been building up inside of him.

The whole meeting proceeded quite smoothly. Yuuri found himself more relaxed as he stood by the side-lines and let everyone else do the talking, but at the same time he felt a pang of annoyance for being cast away so easily. Hadn’t he been the one who had done most of the work here? He tried to keep his expression impassive as he looked back and forth from all of the people in the room, but every time his eyes lingered just a tad longer on Viktor, occasionally even getting a small response from the other in the shape of a reassuring smile.

Once everything was over, he watched his bosses stand up from their end of the table. Viktor and Yakov did the same and the four people met in the middle of the room to the side of the table, proudly shaking each other’s hands as the last seal of the completed deal. The exchange was followed by a polite applause from the others in the room and Yuuri let out a pent up breath he had been holding.

This was finally over.

What he didn’t realize was that that at some point everyone had stopped clapping and that Viktor had just finished saying something that made everyone’s attention shift to him. Yuuri stared back at Viktor as his face portrayed expectancy before looking from side to side to check if it was actually he that was being addressed.

Seeing no one else react he eventually took a few tentative steps forward and made his way to the four people in the middle of the room before stopping a little bit behind his superiors.

“Come on,” Viktor beckoned him, “I want to express my gratitude to you as well. I believe you also deserve to stand here.”

Yuuri wanted to see the expressions that his bosses wore as those words were said, but at the moment it was hard for him to look anywhere else but in front of him and directly at Viktor. He nodded before stepping closer and extending his hand, realizing how starved he had been for at least some kind of touch as the other shook it in his. He knew how stupid it was, but he didn’t want to let go, feeling that the sentiment might have been mutual as both of them eventually slowly parted, Viktor’s fingers gently sliding past his palm.

The following applause seemed to be more energetic than the previous one had been, but the reason for that could have only been Phichit’s excited claps accompanied with a few others’. Yuuri tried to keep up his professional composure as he went back to his spot amongst his fellow associates, but he felt himself slip up as a small smile formed on his lips as he hung his head lower to try and hide it.

* * *

 

In the evening Christophe threw a small banquet for everyone attending to commemorate the occasion. The large lobby area near the entrance was converted into a space filled with tables brimmed with various expensive drinks and a vast selection of entrees. The lulling sounds of jazz filled the room as a few of the staff took the positions of waiters.

Yuuri had continued to stay close to his bosses, joined by Kenjirou and two others. They followed the men at an appropriate distance while keeping comparatively quiet. Yuuri saw a few of his friends invite him to join them, but he only shook his head apologetically as he continued with his duties. He had probably already cast some amount of unrest by standing on the same ground as those higher than him and he wanted to avoid furthering any of that.

The evening went on as some got tipsy while others obviously discussed any possible future alliances between themselves. Yuuri watched as Phichit had managed to get Seung-gil to follow him and now animatedly talked about something with him, Leo, Guang Hong and Christophe. He had seen Yuri a bit more to the side of the room, spending his time with the Kazakhstani representative and occasionally glaring at the Canadian one whenever he had managed to pass them.

He had also spent most of the evening following the rest of the Russian group as they were swarmed with a number of people that wanted to talk to them. He wondered if the reason for that could have been Yakov’s presence or just the fact that they were one part of the main two groups for this whole ordeal. Theirs’ also had a fair share of people circling them, interested in much the same.

Yuuri barely caught any glimpses of Viktor since the other was constantly swarmed. His fidgetiness grew as more time passed and soon even the smooth sounds of the music had become irritating as everything was mixed with the never-ending buzz of conversation all around him. He had tried to avoid any of the drinks and food, but now he had begun considering if it was worth it. Maybe he would be able to relax if he got some alcohol in him.

As he was vacantly starring at one of the tables filled with glasses, he noticed that near it a few people had begun dispersing from their crowd. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that one of them was Viktor, who was clearly excusing himself before finally being left alone. The Russian turned to look at him and then winked as he made a beckoning motion. He then quickly turned around and began to walk towards the grand stairs that were at the edge of the gathering area.

Yuuri immediately swung his head back to see if anyone else had been watching, but no one seemed to have noticed the interaction. He looked back at Viktor, who had made his way further through the sea of people and was getting further and further away with every moment.

Yuuri felt at a complete loss about what he should do. On one hand he had basically promised himself that he would play his role of a proper subordinate to the T, especially during this day. On the other, he could hardly keep his body from moving on its own, desperately wanting to follow Viktor wherever he was going. He nervously stepped from foot to foot as his hands clenched tightly behind his back and he couldn’t help but keep looking from Viktor back to his group.

This was so frustrating.

Suddenly he felt a tap on his arm that almost made him jump in his place. As he calmed down he looked at who was trying to get his attention and saw that it was Kenjirou, who had a bright grin on his face.

“You should go,” he said as he slightly moved his head to indicate the direction towards the stairs.

“I can’t,” Yuuri whispered through his teeth, but his body was already turning there as well. He squeezed his fists harder, feeling his nails dig into his palms. “I need to stay here.”

“If anyone asks, I can say that you just got tired.” Kenjirou gave him a reassuring look. “You’ve done more than enough to deserve some leeway.”

Yuuri stared at the kid for a few precious seconds before he turned to look back at where Viktor was. The man had already begun making his way up the stairs and soon Yuuri would lose sight of him if he didn’t move. He finally fixed his attention back to Kenjirou, who was looking at him expectantly.

“Thank you,” Yuuri breathed out. The teen’s eyes lit up at that, but Yuuri didn’t have time to linger any longer. He discretely moved away from his group and soon he was speed-walking through the crowd of people. He tried not to run since that would have definitely attracted unwanted attention, though that was difficult seeing as Viktor was already at the top of the stairs and was still walking somewhere.

Yuuri followed as quickly as he could, the ringing in his ears shifting from the exhausting buzz of the crowd to one created from excitement. He barely realized that he had already gotten to the top and saw Viktor a bit further away. The other waved to him before taking a turn towards the third floor and disappearing out of Yuuri’s sight. The Japanese man smiled to himself as he made his way to follow him.

Once he got to the third floor’s corridor that connected all of the guest rooms, he hardly had any time to gather himself before he was snatched by the collar and pinned to one of the walls. He let out a small gasp from the impact and the uncomfortable pain that shot up from his back where he had kept his gun holstered, but his mouth was quickly captured by Viktor’s and all the thoughts of pain and this whole day dissipated as he gladly returned the feverish motion, feeling his glasses skew to the side and closing his eyes to ignore that.

It appeared that Yuuri wasn’t the only one who had been starved for touch as Viktor’s hands moved from his face to his head and then neck, mapping every inch of exposed skin with his fingertips and then finding more as he loosened Yuuri’s tie and the top buttons of his shirt. Yuuri, in turn, ran his own through Viktor’s hair and then back, feeling the tensing muscles even through the fabric of his clothing.

Yuuri could feel himself losing breath more quickly due to the amount of stairs he had run, so he moved his mouth away from Viktor’s to catch at least some air, opening his eyes to see the dishevelled mess he had made out of Viktor’s prim attire. The other took that as a motion to move his own somewhere else, choosing to go for Yuuri’s neck and tracing his tongue across the warm skin. Yuuri couldn’t help but let out a throaty groan as he felt a bite and made a mental note that he would definitely return the favour. For now, though, he grabbed the other’s tie and forcefully pulled it to the side, catching Viktor off guard and being met with half lidded eyes that still managed to express some sort of confusion underneath the cloud of want.

“We’re still in the open,” Yuuri said barely above a whisper as he quickly looked from side to side to see if nobody had come this way. He then looked back at Viktor and cocked his head with a slight upturn of his lips. “I suggest we take this somewhere more private.”

“Lead the way,” Viktor’s words came out in a low tone as he moved away from the wall to give Yuuri more space.

Yuuri turned around, still keeping his hold on Viktor’s tie, and began walking towards the room most familiar to him – his own. He enjoyed the slight misstep the other made as he tried to follow Yuuri without getting choked on his own tie.

The room was clad in darkness with only the low light of the moon and the reflection of the bright lights from the party downstairs casting through the wide open windows. For a moment Yuuri wondered if he should turn on the lights, but the thought was quickly forgotten when he felt the tie slip away from his fingers and a tug on his arm as his back was suddenly met with the soft duvet of his bed. He let out a small laugh when Viktor took no time in taking his place on the bed as well and straddled Yuuri’s legs and torso with his own on top of him.

“What’s so amusing?” Viktor asked, moving his upper body closer to Yuuri’s.

“Nothing too much,” Yuuri answered as he lifted his right hand to touch the side of Viktor’s face that was illuminated by the soft lightning. He moved the silver bangs that had fallen over one of his eyes and tugged the hair behind the other’s ear. “It’s just that it looks like you’ve forgotten which one of us was able to lift the other easier and has also been spending most of his life doing physical work.”

He gave Viktor a second to let the words sink in before he let his lips curve to one side and moved his hand to the Russian’s shoulder, bent his right leg and in one swift motion flipped their positions. The expression on the other’s face spoke of surprise for a short moment before it smoothed out into amusement as well.

“Don’t mind me then, please continue.”

Yuuri moved down to kiss that smile again, all while letting his hands move across Viktor’s body, sliding off the already unbuttoned suit before they were met with double pistol holsters on each side of his torso.

“Never go unprepared,” Viktor said as he steadied himself upwards and began taking off the weapons.

“I can agree.” Yuuri shifted his hand to his belt to let his own back holster slide off and tossed the thing somewhere on the carpeted floor.

That was soon followed by both of their suits and ties and as annoying as unbuttoning all of his shirt was, Yuuri was at least glad that he got front row seats to see Viktor do the same. It was clear that both of them were trying their hardest to contain the desire to just rip everything off, but the wait was worth it when Yuuri could finally feel the toned body right beneath him with no more obstructions. It wasn’t as if it was the first time he had seen it, but everything felt different now as he let his hands roam across the flushed skin and enjoyed every motion of the tensed muscles that he elicited. He moved his head down to leave scattered kisses all along Viktor’s jawline and neck before he decided that he could return the favour he had planned. He licked and sucked on the thin skin before he finally bit into it, feeling the other’s fingernails dig into his exposed back and slide down it to his barely hanging pants.

“First time?” Viktor breathed out as he began tugging at them.

“There have been a few eager people once or twice during my travels,” Yuuri answered as he mimicked the motion on the other. “You?”

“Something like that.”

“So we both know what we’re doing?” Yuuri whispered next to his ear before giving it a small nip.

“With you – hardly,” Viktor answered huskily, finally kicking off his own pants while Yuuri did the same. He then slid his hands along Yuuri’s abdomen in an agonizingly slow gesture, one that he eventually stopped as Yuuri bit into his neck again with a low grunt.

“Viktor…” he said in a warning tone and the other let out a chuckle.

“Alright, alright,” the man answered as he moved his hand lower and began stroking him, his fingers moving in a rhythmic motion as Yuuri let his own hands travel up to Viktor’s face, cupping it and kissing fervently as he felt his breathing become more hitched.

Viktor’s body felt so warm underneath him and the smell of him was intoxicating. Every movement he made felt tenfold where their skin made contact and Yuuri couldn’t get enough of just touching him, tracing everything with his hands and mouth. Sure, he had done this before, but it had never felt so intimate with those other people.

He let Viktor come closer, pressing both of them against each other and sighed an elated breath at that. He made his hand go lower as well, joining Viktor’s in the motion while making sure to keep the rest of his weight on his other hand and bent knees. He shuddered from the gasps that the other was making near his ear and listened how they went in tandem with his own.

Yuuri shifted again to lean on his elbow, moving his hand to Viktor’s back and letting it arch as he pressed his palm on the small of his back. The muscles underneath his fingertips were tense and he knew that his were the same. It didn’t take long for Viktor to tighten his grasp on Yuuri’s bicep as they both came undone, holding onto each other as the room was filled with laboured sounds.

Yuuri pressed his face deep into Viktor’s nape, breathing in the already familiar scent and letting his chest rise and fall right next to the other’s. Viktor moved the hand that he had been using to hold onto Yuuri’s arm to the back of his head, lacing his fingers gently with the dark hair.

“That’s one way to seal the deal,” he said in the quieted room.

Yuuri let himself laugh into the other man’s shoulder and he could practically see the smile forming on his face.

“I hope you don’t go around doing this with everyone you make an agreement with,” he said in a teasing tone as he moved over to get off from Viktor and give him some space to breathe. He made himself comfortable on his side as he watched the other turn to him with eyes full of delight.

“You’re the only exception,” Viktor said softly and for once Yuuri felt like he could actually believe that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where did Yuuri's glasses even go? You get to decide
> 
> The end was supposed to be longer but eeeeeeeeh, I didn't really feel like it. Let's just say that the party took a while to end and those two didn't make their appearances there
> 
> Get ready for some leoji backstory next chap since we're going to 'Merica


End file.
